Galaxy Angel Retold – What If's
by StevieBond
Summary: In the Galaxy Angel Retold stories, Arnold finds love with Milfie and Tact finds love with Ranpha. But what if? What if Arnold was interested in a different Angel and what if Tact had someone else in the Angel Wing on his mind? Expect retold highlights from the first part, Moonlit Lovers and Eternal Lovers in each chapter featuring the other five routes from the first trilogy game.
1. An Honest Bachelor (Milfie Route)

**If you have read my Galaxy Angel Retold stories, then this might make sense. I had this brewing in my head for a while, thinking what would happen if Arnold had his heart on someone else in the Angel Wing (If he did in one case) and the same question would apply to Tact who had his mind set on someone else too (If he also did). This will also be told from Arnold's view and the way he behaves will vary depending on which girl he's with and which girl Tact is with as well.**

 **In this route, the retold story takes place after the beginning of Chapter 7, The Last Dance. Tact and Milfie get together whilst Arnold makes a tough choice on his feelings.**

* * *

An Honest Bachelor (Milfie Route)

So all of us angel wing members have been invited to the ball, eh? Sounds like a good reward after all the victories we've had against Eonia's fleet so far. I was in my guest room and thinking over about what Tact had said. He'd be leaving the Elsior soon and that us Angels would be staying behind as Shiva's personal guard on the city of Fargo.

It had been a few weeks since I officially became a member of the angel wing, as the only male member, it was obvious that I would begin to develop a close friendship with all five of the girls but it seems that my tactical methods for each battle had impressed the girls. All of them offered to be my date as soon as we left the bridge and they told me to think about it. Well, I care for all of them equally, but to dance with one of them was where my main problem lied.

Whilst I would be flattered and happy to dance with one of them, I don't believe that my feelings alone are strong enough to warrant a relationship with any of them. I only see them as the sisters I never had and I wouldn't want to risk losing the close friendships I've made in a short space of time. So thinking about it, I made my choice. I'll have to go to each of the five angels and tell them.

I left my room and no sooner I did, I was called by Tact to go up to his commanders room. I walked up to Block A and into his room.

"Hi Tact, you wanted to see me?" I asked.

"Yes, thanks for coming." Tact replied. "You've been with the girls for a few weeks now and you know the ball is coming up, right?"

"I sure do."

"Well, I was wondering that as a fellow guy, is there anyone in the angel wing that you really like?"

"Who I really like?"

"Yeah, cause this ship is full of beautiful girls and the angel wing are very good looking. Is there one that you have close feelings for?"

I pondered once more before sticking with my original choice. "Well Tact, I've thought about it and it's tough, but as much as I like and care the five girls, I'm afraid my feelings for them are not strong enough to consider one of them as more than friends."

Tact looked a little disappointed, I think he wanted me to have someone special. "Ahhh I see...well I'm a little sad to hear that, but I can understand how you feel about it. From one guy to another, I commend you for being honest."

"And if I can be honest, is there any of the girls you have your eyes on?"

"Well, that's what I'm thinking about, but I haven't made my choice yet...I hope to soon since there's a few days till the ball."

"Well if I go to each of the angels and tell them how I feel really cause they offered to be my date earlier. That also means that I won't be going to the ball, but there is another event that's gonna happen on that evening and I'm gonna attend that instead."

Tact nodded. "In that case, I better not keep you here, I'll let you go and do that. As for me, I'll be making my mind up on who to choose for the ball."

I smiled. "I'm sure that whoever you pick, you'll have a great time. I'll see you later."

I left his room and walked back to C-Block, I took a deep breath and thought of seeing the girls in reverse order of the girls Emblem Frames Unit Number. So I went to the door to Vanilla's room, I pushed on the button to call for her.

"Yes?" Vanilla called.

"It's me, Vanilla." I replied. "Mind if I come in, we need to talk."

"Yes...come on in."

I walked into her room and Vanilla had just put down a comic, probably borrowed it from Ranpha some time ago.

I sat on a chair and sighed, ready to say what I really felt. "I've had a very long thought about you five girls offering to be your date and I wanted to tell you first."

Vanilla nodded. "Okay, how do you feel?"

"Whilst I am very flattered that you'd like for me to be your date, I'm afraid that my feelings are not strong enough to be your date. I also can't see myself being with you as more than a friend. I'm sorry if this is disappointing, but it's how I really feel."

Vanilla looked away, although she was trying her best not to show it since she often looked at everything a bit glumly, her eyes told her reaction.

"It's alright, Arnold." she replied. "I understand...thank you for being honest."

"And I wanna thank you for being brave, it wasn't easy for me to turn you down." I put my hand on her shoulder. "You are a beautiful young girl and you take great care of everyone you know."

"Thank you...is there anyone else you like?"

I looked down. "I'm afraid there isn't, which is why I'm going to tell the others about my feelings in the same way as I did just now."

"You're...going to turn the other girls down?"

"I am...and it's going to hurt like it is now, but I have to be honest with myself."

"Alright...good luck, Arnold."

"Thank you..." I gave her a comforting hug. "...we'll still be close friends."

Vanilla nodded and I left her room.

The next room is Forte's and I took a deep breath, ready to go into hers.

"Yo?" Forte asked after I pushed the button.

"It's me, I need to let you know my answer."

"Ah, come in..."

I walked into her room and she was reading a book which was unlike her, but there's a first time for everything.

"So Arnold, have you made your choice?" she asked, putting the book down.

"I have...and as much as I am flattered by the offer, I'm going to have to turn it down as my feelings are not strong enough to take the next step."

Forte sighed sadly, I could tell that she was a little bit hurt by my response.

"I'm sorry Forte, but it's how I really feel."

Forte looked back at me. "It's okay, Arnold. Thanks for being honest about it, so does that mean you have someone else in mind?"

"Sadly, there isn't. I have to go to the others one by one and tell them the same thing."

She seemed surprised. "Oh...that's very brave of you, mister. But if you have to be honest, I won't stop you. Just continue to be brave."

I smiled. "I will...thanks for understanding, Forte."

I left her room and walked to the next room, time to see Mint and let her know.

I pushed the button outside her door. "Mint, I need to tell you something important."

"Oh...come on in, Arnold." she replied.

I walked into her room and I sat on the clear crystal bench.

"Okay Mint, I've been thinking about the offer to be my date which you girls brought forward and I've decided that I'm going to have to decline."

Mint seemed sad by my reply. "Awww...but may I ask why?"

I nodded. "It's because my feelings are not strong enough for you and I can't see myself being your date for the ball...I'm sorry to turn you down, Mint."

"No it's alright...I thank you for your honesty." She showed a tiny smile. "Does that mean you have your eyes on one of the other girls?"

I sighed. "That's the other problem, I can't see myself being with any of the others. As much as it hurts me to say it, I have to be honest with myself."

"I see...well they'll be disappointed but I'm sure they'll understand as much as I do."

"Yeah...you'll always be the sisters I never had, that'll never change."

Mint smiled. "Well, hearing that from you, I really believe it. Thank you for letting me know Arnold, good luck with the other girls."

"Thanks Mint...off I go." I gave her a friendly hug and I left her room.

Now this was where it was getting hard, next was Ranpha's room and if I messed this up, my body could be at risk. I pushed on the button by her door.

"Who is it?" Ranpha asked.

"It's Arnold, I'm ready to tell you my reply."

"Oh, come in then."

I walked into her room and I sat by the table where Ranpha had just moved away a letter she was writing.

"So, what's up?"

I had to think carefully on this one. "I've had a think about the offer you and the other girls gave to me."

"Ah right and what's your answer?"

"I'm going to have to turn it down...my honest feelings are telling me that I'm not ready for the next step. I like and care all of you girls too much and I don't wanna risk losing the close friendships for a date that I can't be honest with."

Ranpha looked away, feeling sad. "So you're not interested in me?"

I put my hand on her shoulder. "I'm flattered, but I can't see myself being on a date with you. I'm sorry if this hurts you, but it's how I really feel."

"It's okay...I understand...so does that mean you wanna date someone else?"

"That's the second thing I have to tell you...I can't see my future being with the others."

Ranpha blinked at me. "Wait, you're going to turn down four other girls?"

I nodded. "I have to."

"Okay...I hope you know what you're doing, Arnold." She smiled. "I guess my fortune with you was not to be. But what we have right now won't change after what you said."

I got out of the chair. "Thanks, Ranpha, I better go and tell the others now."

She then hugged me which I accepted gladly. "Alright, Arnold. Hope you find someone special in the future."

"I hope so too...see you Ranpha."

I left her room, that was four girls I've turned down. Only one more to go...Milfie. When I first joined the Elsior and first met the girls, she was the first to say hi to me and be friendly to me. But no matter how friendly or caring she was, I had to tell her the truth on my feelings.

I pushed the button on her door. "Who's there?" Milfie asked.

"It's only me, I have to let you know something important."

"Okay, come on in."

I walked into her room and she was standing there with her genuine smile. I couldn't lie, she was a beautiful girl, but I could only see her as a sister, just like the others.

"Is this about the offer we made earlier?" she asked.

"Yeah and I thought I should let you know about my response, but before that, I wanna say that this is going to be hard for me and I wanna let you know that whatever I say next, it's not going to change what we have right now."

She felt more curious. "What do you mean?"

I sighed as this was going to hurt more than the others. "As much as I am deeply flattered by your offer, I have to decline."

Milfie seemed surprised in a sad way. "Huh? But why?"

"I'm sorry Milfie, but my feelings are not strong enough to commit towards being your date. I only see you as a very close friend and as a sister that I never had."

Milfie turned away and began to sniff. "It's alright, because I wanna be honest too. I had my eyes set on someone else in case you didn't feel the same way."

"Someone else, you mean Tact?"

"Yeah...but you must answer me now, is there someone else you like on the angel wing?"

I shook my head. "No...I care for you all equally and I can't see myself having a future with the other girls. As hard and painful as it is for me to say that."

She looked back at me. "But Arnold, you deserve to have someone special in your life."

"I know I should...but I don't wanna rush and I don't wanna be in a date if I can't be honest with my feelings with someone...these things take time so I'm going to wait for the right time."

Milfie smiled and nodded. "I understand...but how are you gonna enjoy yourself at the ball?"

"Well, I heard that in the Fargo city, there's a karaoke contest taking place in a classy bar which is a walk away from the ball palace, so I'll be there."

"Oh, so you're not gonna go to the ball?"

"Nope...but don't worry about me, you girls have a great time when it's the day of the ball. I also wanna wish you luck in that Tact picks you to be his date."

"Thanks Arnold...and thank you for being honest."

"You're very welcome." I gave her a comforting hug with a smile, it really hurt to say those feelings but I felt much better and I think Milfie did too.

I left her room and I went back to my guest room to take a rest and grab a tissue. Who knew being honest with a girl I didn't have true feelings for could hurt, let alone turning down five girls who offered to be my date. Milfie's reply was the most unique, I thought she would be devastated but she responded more bravely and more positive than I thought. I guess she was beginning to develop feelings for Tact and that I hadn't noticed all the time I'd been on the Elsior.

Oh well, better enjoy the next few days until I can get to go to the karaoke contest in the city of Fargo and as a bachelor as Lester would put it.


	2. Step By Step (Milfie Route)

**Here we have the second chapter where the Moonlit Lovers story begins and where the Milfie route continues.**

* * *

Step By Step (Milfie Route)

Six Months Later...

Six months had passed since the war with Eonia and the Black Moon ended, but one major change had occurred. After Milfie had used up all of her luck to save the Elsior so the Black Moon could be destroyed with the Chrono Break Cannon, she retired from the Angel Wing and Tact went with her so they could have their picnics together.

As for the rest of us, we were on the Elsior with Lester who took charge of the ship as Commander...well almost the rest of us were. Ranpha, Mint and Vanilla were out in space dealing with one of the Empires bases near Lena. Forte and I were waiting to be greeted by a new member of the group and I was hoping it'll be a female since I was still single during that time. The hanger doors opened and in flew an Emblem Frame I hadn't seen before and it landed on a vacant slot.

When the pilot got out, it was indeed a female. She had long black hair with red ribbons and a purple dress around the middle and bottom covered by her angel wing jacket. Taking in the details...I was almost blown away, she looked beautiful and I had an eagerness to introduce myself first.

"I am Ensign Karasuma Chitose." She formally greeted. "I am honoured to work with the Angel Wing."

"Good to meet you, Chitose." Forte replied. "The name's Forte, the Angel Wing's ring leader as I'm known for."

"And I'm Arnold Williams." I added, moving forward and shaking her hand. "The only male member and second in command of the group."

Chitose looked at me. "Umm, h-h-hi lieutenant Williams." she said a little nervously.

"Oi oi!" Forte intervened. "What's all this then?"

I kept my cool. "You know me Forte, I like to be a gentleman when it comes to greetings. I was like this to you girls when I first met you, remember?"

"Nope...I'm not buying that answer. Besides, you only learnt about us when we got on the Elsior for the very first time."

I turned back to the newcomer. "Anyways, welcome to the Elsior. Mind if I call you Chitose?"

"Huh?" Chitose responded.

"And if you like, you can call me Arnold."

"Ehhh?" she gasped, blushing.

"Oh...well if you don't want to, I don't mind."

"N-n-n-n-no, I didn't say no." She tried to regain her composure. "But, wouldn't there be a problem?"

"Take deep breaths, girl." Forte said. "Arnold's just a man...and he's single."

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm one man and..." suddenly realizing the words I just heard. "Wait what?! Don't say that!"

"Oops, did I mention too much?" Forte laughed.

I sighed in embarrassment. "Ugh...apologies for all this, Chitose. It's kind of how we angel wing members behave unless we're in combat."

Chitose seemed back to normal. "There's no need to, I must report to the commander of the ship and have my own room set up."

"Sure thing, come with us. We'll show you the way." Forte replied.

We left the hanger and my first impressions on Chitose is that she is no doubt a beautiful girl and could be my type. Well potentially since she was a bit flushed when she spoke to me first time. We walked to the bridge where Lester was waiting, the Elsior was still the same with Almo and Coco in their resumed roles.

"Angel Wing here, Lester." Forte said. "Along with the newcomer."

"Commander Coolduras, a pleasure to meet you." Chitose added. "I am honoured to be on the Elsior.

Lester nodded. "Now that we have three pilots, I think we're ready to move on to the next step of our objective."

"Next step?" Forte asked.

"We've detected a small fleet of automated ships heading towards this sector here, we're to go over there and deal with the enemy. The journey shouldn't take too long and if we do it quick, we might be able to get a hold of Tact."

"Tact, eh?" I asked. "You think he'll be somewhere there too?"

"Maybe, although I can't remember where he and Milfie moved to after they left the military. But if I'm honest, I think we need them back, more importantly Tact."

"Then we shouldn't be immobile here, we should be making a move."

"Agreed...all units, let's move out to the designated sector as planned. Angel Wing, be on standby until then."

"Roger that, Lester." Forte replied.

We left the bridge and we took the time to give Chitose a tour of the Elsior, giving me a chance to get to know her more.

* * *

One Week Later...

Sirens went off when I was in the hanger, I timed that well as I got into my frame first. Forte and Chitose followed in their frames, looking around I had noticed that the ship was still carrying the Lucky Star. We flew out into the open space and we took note of the enemy ships moving close to some civilian ships, one of which was smaller and was going inside the Elsior, I did wonder why.

There were four destroyers and four cruisers, our first battle in six months, I wondered if Chitose was ready for this.

Suddenly, a familiar face appeared on my screen. "Long time no see, Arnold."

"Tact?!" I exclaimed. "That was you inside the ship that went into the Elsior?"

"Hi Arnold!" Milfie added from behind him. "Haven't seen you for months."

"Milfie, happy to see you as well."

"Wait, you two are on the Elsior now?" Forte asked.

"Yeah, but we can talk about it later." Tact replied. "I want you angels to eliminate the automated ships so the civilian ships can escape from that moon city."

"Roger that, we've got this." I said. "You ready for this, Chitose?"

"Y-y-y-yes, let's deal with the enemy."

"Keep it together, girl." Forte said. "Milfie, you don't need to sortie, just watch what we three can do."

"Okay Forte, you three do your best." Milfie replied.

The battle began and each of us took out a destroyer, it felt good to be back in action. Two cruisers were up next but Chitose was ready for them.

"My spirit level has peaked." Chitose said.

"Use it now." Forte replied.

"Face our justice, enemy ship. Fatal Arrow!" Her arrows were dead accurate and the two cruisers were gone.

I mowed down the last destroyer and Forte shot down the last two cruisers.

"Enemy fleet destroyed." I said. "Now it's time to return to the Elsior and meet up with our old friends."

We flew our frames back inside the Elsior and we got out to find Tact and Milfie with smiles.

"We're back from combat, good to see you Tact." I said. "And Milfie, happy to see you as well."

"Glad that you're doing well." Tact replied. "You were great out there as always."

"Arnold!" Milfie added giving me a friendly hug. "So who was that new girl?"

"That's Chitose who Forte and I met just a week ago...I think she likes me a bit."

Milfie smiled. "Really...then you should get to know her more."

"I'm way ahead of you on that one."

* * *

After the battle was over, Tact was ordered to come back into the military and return to his role as commander, meaning Lester would go back to his sub-commander role and I think he looked relieved to hear that, Mint and Ranpha used to tease him quite a bit and it had to take me and Forte to try and keep things focused.

With some free time, I walked in the viewing park where Chitose was sitting down, breathing in the clear air even if it was just the air conditioning blowing around.

"Oh...h-h-hi, Mr Arnold." she said, blushing. "You well?"

"Sure am." I replied. "You taking a rest here?"

"Yes, m-m-mind if you sit by me?"

"Of course, I could do with a sit down myself."

I sat down on the dry grass beside her. The blushing she had going on was pretty cute, it made me feel more attracted to her.

"So that was Milfie?" she asked.

"Yep, she was actually the person I got to make friends with when I first joined to the Elsior."

Chitose looked at me, trying very hard to not be nervous. "I see...did you have feelings for her?"

I shook my head. "I was flattered but no, I didn't have strong feelings for her or for any of the other girls."

Chitose seemed a little relaxed, hearing that. "Oh...so if you don't mind me asking, are you still single?"

"I still am because back then it wasn't the right time for me to take the next step." I looked back at her. "They're amazing girls, but I only see them as close sisters."

"Then will I become a close sister to you?"

"Well, it may be too soon for me to answer that. But my feelings are telling me that I want to get to know you more."

"I see...well, m-m-maybe in the future when we become close friends..."

"Hm? So you want to become close friends, even though me and the others are like idols?"

Chitose smiled, still blushing. "Y-yes. It seems odd, but talking to you, I feel like I can be brave and tell you almost anything and you would listen to me."

"Well I was always told that I'm a good listener and I was raised well, even though I don't remember much of my past. Apart from what happened in the past six months."

"Hmm, past..."

"Is something wrong, Chitose?"

"No Arnold, it's nothing."

I then saw an opportunity when I noticed a well blossomed flower by the bushes. I got up and picked it from the bush before sitting back down by her.

"Then let this be a toast to our beautiful friendship." I said. "Here, I know it may seem too forward of me since it's only been a week since we met, but I wanna give you this."

"A flower?" she asked, blushing.

"Yeah and don't tell anyone but I know how to put it in someone's hair with a ribbon."

She seemed nervous again. "Oh, then please use my ribbons and be gentle."

I took her ribbons and I wrapped one of them on the flower and placed it on her hair and tied the ribbon lace with a second one to keep it in place.

"There we go, all done." I said, moving back a bit from her.

Chitose was blushing. "Wow...it feels comfortable and the flower matches well, where did you learn to do that?"

I sat back down beside her. "Ranpha taught me it when she was giving me tips on how to become close friends with a girl, I just made an improvisation on this occasion."

"Well either way...thank you very much, Arnold. Then I agree, to our close friendship, I hope that we can work together with the rest of our friends...and maybe us."

I held her hand in a handshake gesture with smiles before leaving the park as we had to go to the bridge.

* * *

After a closely fought battle with Rezom who made his return along with a new enemy, Nefuria, I was in the convenience store, thinking of what gift I should get for Chitose when Milfie walked in.

"Hi Arnold." she called. "How it's going?"

"Pretty well." I replied. "Actually, I'm glad you're here, mind if we talk?"

"Sure, it's been a while since we spoke one on one."

"Yeah, how are things with Tact?"

"Well...to be honest, it's alright. I'm happy that he's protecting me, but I want to be much more use to him."

"Hmm, you mean you wanna try piloting the Lucky Star again?"

"Yes, because of the war that's going on again, there are so many things I wanna do with Tact, but we can't...and it's making me upset."

"Well it may not be my place to say it, but I don't think he's paying attention to your true feelings."

"Huh?"

"If he loves you, he should be focusing on how you feel but it looks like he's not even trying to. Maybe I should go and talk to him..."

She looked at me. "Please do, Arnold...I know we'll be meeting with Ranpha, Mint and Vanilla soon but I don't want them to see me like this, especially Ranpha, she would not hesitate to beat him up."

"Oh we need to avoid that at all costs...alright, I'll go and see him...cheer up Milfie."

"I'll try to...thanks Arnold."

I left the store and just my luck, I found Tact walking out of the cafeteria. "Tact, we need to have a serous talk, in your room, please."

"Uhhh okay." he replied, looking concerned.

We walked to his room where I could feel comfortable to tell him. "Okay Tact, I want to know...how much do you love Milfie?"

Tact seemed taken back. "Well that's easy, I love her so much that I'll protect her."

"Well that's all good, but you're disregarding in what makes a great relationship. Do you know how much Milfie loves you?"

"How much she loves me...actually, I never thought about that...we haven't even kissed either."

I blinked in surprise. "Seriously...you're lucky that Ranpha isn't here to hear you say that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Tact...you're disregarding Milfie's feelings, actually, you're not even trying to consider her feelings on love and protection."

"I'm not even trying...wait, now that you mention it."

"She wants to pilot the Lucky Star, that's what her feelings want right now. There's so much she wants to do with you but because of what's going on right now, she can't and that is upsetting her...if you know what's good for you, you better go and see Milfie when she's alone. Never mind what Lester says!"

"I think I finally understand what you're getting at...alright, I'll go and see Milfie. I need to apologise to her...thanks Arnold, I was so blind with my own selfish feelings."

"You sure were, now get going...I've gotta go and check on Chitose." I left his room whilst he left and went to look for Milfie.

* * *

We had a tough battle that involved a pair of assault satellites, but Milfie was able to pilot the Lucky Star and help us out. Seeing that she was able to clean house, she was officially welcomed back into the Angel Wing which made everyone on the Elsior very happy. We had a celebration in the cafeteria and Milfie threw up a few coins which all came up as heads. Her good luck was back as well, how that happened though was best left to not be explained.

When she threw the coins again and came up as tails, I suddenly thought that her bad luck might be back as well. I rushed to the kitchen to see Chitose observing the oven that was cooking the cake that Milfie and her made, the over began to blew smoke from the back.

"Chitose, get out of there, quick!" I exclaimed.

"Why, what's happening?" She asked.

"The oven's about to blow." I grabbed her by the waist and run out of the kitchen.

"Eh?!"

"Take cover!"

*BOOM!*

The oven had exploded and thankfully Chitose wasn't hurt.

"A-a-a-a-Arnold." Chitose said nervously.

"What is it? You sound really nervous." I replied.

"It's because...you're s-s-s-still holding on to m-m-me."

I blinked, my arms were still around her, I immediately let her go. "Oh...sorry about that, I had to grab you and get you out of there so you wouldn't get hurt."

Chitose was blushing in bright red. "It's aright, Arnold...thanks for saving me...I felt warm and safe."

Milfie rushed by and saw the scene of the oven and the cake that was now ruined.

"Nooooooo!" Milfie cried. "Our cake..."

"Looks like the bad luck is back as well." I said. "Never mind, we can make another one if I help out."

"Really, you'd like to help us?"

"Of course I do, I wanna be more than just a pilot too."

We shared a small laughter, looks like things are gonna get more interesting on the Elsior again.

* * *

A day had passed and after our second encounter with Rezom's fleet, the whole Angel Wing was back together again as Ranpha, Mint and Vanilla joined with us ready to move forward to our next destination of Lena. Whilst the girls were talking about Tact and Milfie's relationship, I was suddenly thrown into the fray about my love status.

"So Arnold." Ranpha said. "Have you found someone special yet?"

"I found a very close friend if that counts." I replied, trying to cover up about me and Chitose wanting to be very close friends for now. "And don't you think of reading my mind."

Mint showed her innocent smile. "Oh I wouldn't dream of it, Arnold. I will not use such a tactless trick."

"Close friend...that's pretty lame." Ranpha dismissed.

"It's not if you think about it." Forte said. "If Arnold wants to take his time on getting to know a girl, then we shouldn't interfere."

"Yeah, Arnold is close friends with all of us and we should support him on his choices." Milfie added.

Vanilla nodded. "A close bond cannot be broken."

"Anyways, I better go and do my routine check." Tact said. "It's that time again."

"Very well, Tact." I replied. "I better go as well..."

I left the lounge, not realising that Chitose was beside me.

"Umm, hope you don't mind Arnold, but could you come with me to my room?" I asked.

"Sure I don't mind, it'll be the first time I've seen your room."

"Actually it will, I think you might like it."

We walked up to her room and when she walked in, I followed through and noticed her room appearance. It had a traditional home world feel with a small archery range.

"Well you weren't wrong." I commented. "I like this room, it's much better than the guest room I have to put up with."

"Thanks, it's based on the homes I used to live by and grew up with." she replied.

I then noticed something in the corner. "Is that your teddy bear?"

"Yes...there's a story behind why I have this...and since we've got to know each other well in a short space of time, I feel that I can tell you."

"Well I'm all ears...because I haven't got anything to do for the rest of this day."

She picked the teddy up and held on to it. "This was a gift that my father was bringing back for me after one of his operations during the last war." She began to lose her smile. "However, my father was met with a fatal accident on the way. I don't know the details, but he perished along with his ship when he was helping his crew to evacuate the ship that was about to explode."

"Oh my...I'm sorry to hear that. Now that I think about it...I can't even remember if I had a family myself."

Chitose seemed surprised. "Really...then were you an orphan?"

"Maybe I was...but seeing the angel wing are what I would consider as sisters as I told you a while ago."

"Yes you did...it may seem forward but if you had a family, I'm sure you would cherish them as much as I would if my father was still alive."

I sighed. "I would indeed...by the way, I had to say close friends when Ranpha asked me, because I didn't want them to figure out what you and I are working towards."

"I understand...thanks for covering that up. I don't say it often, but you are a special guy and I wouldn't mind on being close to you..." she gasped, closing her mouth.

Now I was beginning to blush. "Was that a confession?"

"M-m-m-m-maybe..."

"Oh my...then would it be okay if we shared a hug, since there's no one else around?"

Chitose blushed. "S-s-s-sure...think of it as a close friendship hug."

I relaxed and smiled. "I will...and we don't have to tell anyone about it."

Chitose put her teddy down on a table and she walked up to me. I could tell that she was blushing red through this, but my smile made her calm. We wrapped each other in a close and gentle hug. Her arms were around my neck and my arms were around her waist. I could even feel her heartbeat that was almost beating in sync with mine.

"I feel safe when we're like this." Chitose said quietly.

"Me too...I almost don't wanna let go." I replied without thinking about it.

Chitose began to hold me a little tighter. "I better let you go in case one of the other girls wants to see me."

We pulled out of the hug. "That would be a good idea...maybe we can share another hug soon?"

"Yes...I would like that...maybe hold on for a little longer too...see you Arnold."

"Same to you, Chitose."

I left her room and I was glad that no one else was around, I walked back to my guest room and laid down on the bed. There was no doubt about it now...I really liked her more than ever.

* * *

It had taken nearly all of our combined strength, but after overcoming Rezom and helping out with Noah, we finally defeated Nefuria and her Val-Fasc fleet. We were treated to a 30-day paid vacation which we all really needed. The other angels and Tact were getting ready to have the first night of our vacation on Transbaal. They were waiting for me and Chitose.

I looked around the top block and found Chitose in the viewing park, standing near a lamppost and gazing at the stars. "There you are, Chitose." I said. "We have to go."

"Oh...how long were you looking at me for?" Chitose asked.

"Just a few seconds, I came here to find you because Tact and the others are ready to go."

"Ah...then we should get going..." She paused, beginning to blush again. "...but can we hold hands until we get to the hanger?"

I blushed as well. "Yes we can...and can we also share our hug again?"

"Maybe when we have a day to ourselves...if you wish."

"I do...as soon as we have time to ourselves, I would like that very much."

Chitose smiled as I took her hand, making ourselves blush even more before we left the park.

Well we weren't there yet, but step by step, we were taking each step closer towards the next big one that might happen during our 30-day vacation.

* * *

 **So as you can see, Arnold and Chitose are taking it slow but this will lead to a minor plot point in the next and final chapter of the Tact and Milfie route**


	3. The First Kiss Of Many (Milfie Route)

**Now for the final part of the Tact and Milfie route which follows through what happens on Eternal Lovers Retold and Arnold and Chitose finally take the big step. The events that Arnold goes through still occur but only as a highlight and just a forewarning, this will be somewhat repeated in future chapters, but they shouldn't affect the major plot of the other routes.**

* * *

The First Kiss Of Many (Milfie Route)

Thirty Days Later...

Our vacation was over and we were back on the Elsior, travelling towards the southern east part of the galaxy. I was in Chitose's room and I was smiling happy, thinking back to how it all went down during our long vacation. The day before Milfie organised a picnic at a theme park on Transbaal, Chitose and I decided to give it a go and start seeing each other in a more than friends kind of way and to our surprise, it was working very well.

I still remember it like it was yesterday...

 _*Flashback*_

 _With just a week left until our vacation was over, we all sat by the big tables at the theme park as we unloaded the picnic food. Milfie worked extremely hard to set this all up and we really appreciated it._

 _I sat by Chitose and Tact sat by Milfie, they were still a couple and Chitose and I weren't, but we looked at each other and agreed to let them know._

 _"Everyone, can we have your attention?" I asked them all._

 _"Oh, not like you to make an announcement, Arnold." Mint replied. "Normally Tact does that."_

 _"So come on then, out with it." Forte teased._

 _"Umm, Arnold and I have become very close friends as you all know." Chitose replied. "However, we gave seeing each other a go a week ago."_

 _"And we're here to tell you." I paused as I grabbed Chitose's hand. "We've decided to become a couple."_

 _The others were silent, until they started cheering._

 _"YAY! That's amazing!" Milfie yelled happily._

 _"Well, it's about time, mister." Ranpha added._

 _"Congratulations." Vanilla said with a smile._

 _"Thank you, girls." Chitose replied. "I was very shy and I couldn't help but blush so much when he and I talk, but after we got to know each other more, I began to feel more confident and safe. You all helped me to enjoy my life and that helped to make me feel close to Arnold."_

 _"Well Arnold, I congratulate you on finding someone special." Tact said. "Even if it took nearly seven months."_

 _The girls were not pleased by his last sentence, I felt bad for Tact. Until I smiled at Chitose, feeling happy with our feelings and what we said._

 _*End Of Flashback*_

"Arnold?" Chitose asked. "Can you hear me?"

"Huh?" I was snapped out of my thoughts. "Yes, Chitose?"

"You were kind of dreaming and I was wondering what it was about."

"Ah...sorry about that. I was just thinking back to how we made it official."

"Oh yes...the time when we became a couple. Even though I still feel like I'm new to this relationship."

"I'm new to this as well but that's why we're able to learn." I wrapped my arms around her waist. "Fighting against the Val Fasc or not, we're just like any other couple."

She put her arms around me. "Yes...but you know, we haven't said those words yet."

I blinked. "Have we not?"

"No...but we have time right now...so could you say the words first?"

I smiled. "Alright I will...Chitose, I love you and I started to feel love for you when we first met."

Chitose blushed but smiled happily. "Arnold...I love you too and I did have a bit of a crush on you when we first met."

We held each other close with our foreheads touching...we looked at each other in the eyes. That was the other thing we hadn't done...we hadn't shared our first kiss, was today going to be the day? We moved our faces closer slowly, feeling nervous as I almost felt the breathing from her until...

A beep went off on our jackets...dammit!

"Yes, Tact?" I asked, feeling disappointed at the interruption.

"Angel Wing, you are to scramble and prepare for combat, a Val-Fasc fleet has been detected." He replied before ending the call.

I sighed. "Tact's got some nerve to call us just when something special was about to happen."

"It's alright, Arnold. We can finish this after the battle, okay?"

"Yeah, you're right. We better get ready for battle."

We left her room, holding hands as we rushed to the hanger to get ready. That enemy fleet is going to be sorry for interrupting us!

* * *

After the battle ended and following a lengthy time before we were allowed to board our frames. Chitose and I visited the tea lounge where no one else was there, we grabbed a table for just us two and sat close together, hoping we could now continue from where we left off.

"Mind if we share a milkshake together, just in case?" Chitose asked.

I was a little confused by what she meant. "Sure...you want me to buy it?"

"No it's okay, I'm sure you'll want to get me something very wonderful soon." She got up and bought a strawberry milkshake by the counter with two straws.

She sat back down with me with the sundae close to us. I put my arm around her and looked in her eyes. She did the same as we began to move our heads closer, our lips were close to being on contact, was this to be our first kiss?

"Hey Arnold!" A voice called.

I gasped and move away quick and Chitose looked to see where the voice came from.

"Oh, hi Forte." Chitose said. "And the rest of you girls, what are you doing here?"

"Milfie is showing Lushati and Wein her colouring in test tubes or something." Mint replied.

"They were borrowed though." Vanilla added.

"We wanted to have our get together, even though Milfie is busy." Ranpha said. "Anyways, how about you two?"

I wanted to feel disappointed that Chitose and I were interrupted for a second time, but I couldn't show it in front of the other girls. "We're doing great as a couple."

"Yes, I would agree." Chitose added.

"Good...now have you two kissed?" Ranpha asked.

Chitose and I looked at each other, should we make something up and pretend that we did...we thought about it in our heads, but then we forgot that Mint was present and she may be tempted to tease us. I then had a unique idea that could work.

"Does this answer your question?" I asked back before Chitose and I grabbed a straw and drank our milkshake together whilst looking at each other in the eyes.

"Well that is cute." Forte commented. "But I don't think it exactly answers what we wanted to know."

"Actually it does." Ranpha said. "That is what I would call an indirect kiss."

"An indirect kiss?" Mint asked.

"It's hard to explain, but it's another way of showing affection without making contact with the lips."

"I see...anyways, I think we should leave them be."

"Yeah agreed, we'll see you two later." Forte added as they left the lounge.

Chitose and I finished off our shared milkshake and left the lounge, making our way to the viewing park to find the area empty yet peaceful and calm. We sat on a dry area near the hill where Milfie normally sets up her picnic location. I sat down first and I helped Chitose to sit in front of me with my arms around her and she held on to my hands.

"Now this is more like it." I said. "Just us two, no one else around."

"Yes...I do enjoy it here too. I may be liking it more than Ms. Milfie does." Chitose replied.

I then thought, maybe it'll be third time lucky. Chitose looked at me and I looked back, she moved her body slightly and turned to face me completely. We moved our heads closer, closing our eyes as we prepared to make contact with our first kiss. Our lips were inches away, finally we're gonna have the first kiss with no interruptions.

"Look, they're already there!" A voice yelled. "Arnold, Chitose, glad that you're here."

It was the girls again, but this time Tact, Milfie, Lushati and Wein were with them.

I looked away and sighed...I was getting irritated by the constant interruptions. That was now three times that our first kiss got stopped and Chitose could see I was getting mad about it. She looked at me with a bit of worry, those turquoise eyes of hers...they seemed to calm me down.

"You two sitting close on the hill where we have our picnic?" Milfie asked. "That's nice."

"Yeah..." I replied.

"Huh...is something the matter?" Tact asked.

I frowned. "I just need some time alone...I can't deal with these interruptions." I was about to walk away.

"Arnold, wait." Chitose said, grabbing my hand. "It may not seem romantic, but I want us to finish the move right now!"

I blinked. "Move? What do you mean by-umph!"

Next thing I knew, I felt her lips come into contact with mine. I was surprised that she made the move to kiss me, but she did. Eventually I fell into the kiss and I put my arms around her. We broke the kiss and I didn't feel irritated anymore, I was smiling and happy. It was our first kiss and it was damn good!

"Woohoo!" Ranpha commented. "That was so hot!"

"You've become a real man, Arnold." Forte teased. "I'm also proud of you, Chitose."

Chitose was bright red and so was I. "Umm t-t-t-t-thanks Forte...I had to be really brave to do that."

"Was that your first kiss?" Milfie asked.

"Y-y-y-yes...it's something I wouldn't normally do, but for Arnold, I would try to be as brave as I can."

"Anyways...Tact, you should take a page out of Arnold's book." Mint teased.

"What...me?" Tact asked, surprised.

"Why of course, you and Milfie have kissed a few times right?"

"Uhhh, yes we have." Milfie replied, blushing as she stood by Tact, holding his hand.

Lushati and Wein hadn't said a word, they were probably wondering what was going on.

"Anyways, we came out here to have a picnic and we wanted Lushati and Wein to be welcomed as guests from Eden." Ranpha explained. "So shall we get seated?"

"Sounds good." Forte replied. "Let's have the blanket here."

Things then moved on whilst I smiled with Chitose, we finally had our first kiss, although it took a surprise to make it happen.

* * *

Once we had our picnic which was stopped by a malfunctioned sprinkler, we had to prepare for the next battle where Admiral Rowil made his presence known. His voice sounded familiar from the nightmare that I had yesterday, but we dealt with his first wave of fleets although Milfie was not performing at her best and that made us all worry.

We then got word of a secret route that would allow us to attack Rowil's flagship and his fleet from behind, but before we did, Tact got the chance to explain and Milfie cheered right up, allowing us to continue fighting. But as one spirit was raised, another plummeted. After we forced Rowil to retreat, he left with a message about what happened to my parents...and he had it announced to everyone who was present...I did not take it well at all.

When two days had passed, I realized that I had to turn this mood of mine around. Chitose, bless her, offered me to sleep in her room since Lushati and Wein were using the guest room, she had a spare duvet and pillow for me. She also didn't mind if my spare bed was next to hers and I really needed her at that difficult time. When I made my trip to the White Moon and got the past story straight from Lady Shatyarn, I had returned back feeling a whole lot better.

All the while however, I was suspicious of Wein and I was checking over a wire-tap with Lushati when sirens went off. Rowil was about to face my justice after what he did to my father! When the battle was over, Rowil perished, settling the long feud for good even though the reinforcements didn't arrive.

I was back in Chitose's room, feeling much more relaxed and Chitose was with me in my arms.

"Chitose, I have never felt so much happier in all my life than I do right now." I said.

"I feel so happy for you, Arnold." she replied. "You've been there for me when I needed you so it was only fair that I returned the favour."

I looked at her in the eyes and moved my head towards hers, she responded and our lips made contact. Ever since our first kiss, we had gotten more comfortable with exchanging kisses and nearly all of them had been just the two of us present. We got into a long and loving embrace, I couldn't think of anywhere else I wanted to be except right there.

"Oh Chitose, I just thought of something."

"Yes?"

"We haven't had a dance together yet."

"Oh, no we haven't yet. When do you think we can dance?"

"Maybe when we get to Eden...I'm sure Tact would like that as well since he hasn't danced for a long while either."

We had hoped that after the battle, things would be peaceful, but I was so wrong.

* * *

The battle that followed resulted in a shocker, Milfie's frame went out of control and the only way to shut it down was an attack from the Elsior. We were devastated at how it happened, but no one was more devastated then Tact, we left him in the infirmary to leave him alone as the rest of us sat in the lounge.

Things did not go well as planned in the next battle as Wein showed his true colours when he hypnotised Lushati and stole Unit #7 from us, then a Val-Fasc fleet approached us from behind, allowing Wein to get away. We were one frame down, but we had to fight our way through and retreat. When we did, our frames were a mess and we got word that Milfie had recovered except there was one new problem...Milfie had lost all of her memories of Tact.

We were in the lounge with Milfie and we were relived that she still remembered the rest of us. I don't know what I would do if Chitose's frame had been attacked and that she lost her memories of me, I guess I have to thank my stars for that one. Milfie seemed happy to see us again and apologised for making us worry.

I looked at Tact and he put on a smile, but when Milfie went to get a drink, Tact looked down and began to feel incredibly upset.

"Tact, do you want a man to man chat with me?" I offered.

He nodded, unable to reply with his words.

"Girls, I'll try to take care of this." I told them.

The girls nodded and I brought him away from the lounge.

"Milfie..." He said to himself. "...she's gone."

"You're wrong, Tact." I replied. "I'm a straight guy through and through who loves Chitose very much, but I think it's time you got some tough love."

He didn't reply.

I folded my arms. "So let me ask you, is that your plan, is it? Just lay down and give up all because she lost her memories of you? That's BS! The Tact Mayers I know would never give up like this. You faced several battles and wars, but when it comes to this issue, you don't wanna face it."

"Arnold...why are you acting like Lester?"

"It's for your own good and if it was Lester, I bet it would be even worse so be lucky on that one. Anyways, the Milfie you know and love is right here on the ship and if you want her to recover, you're going to have to start from scratch with her, starting with a fresh friendship and then work your way up from there. Just like how you did when you first met the girls and me all those months ago."

Tact began to show a smile. "Arnold...thank you, I needed to hear that."

"Don't mention it...now we should get back, Milfie may be back with her drink." He nodded and we returned to the lounge.

Later on, we got word that we were leaving for Juno, the home world of Eden...my home world. I would finally be able to see the world where I was born and where I could find the answers and what my father was working towards. A Val-Fasc fleet was waiting for us along with Wein on Unit #7, however with our restored morale thanks to Tact who was trying VERY hard to help Milfie recover, we annihilated the fleet and Wein withdrew.

Tact wasn't able to get back Unit #7, but I was happy with this victory, Juno, my home world was finally free from the Val-Fasc. When we arrived at the Sky Palace, before revealing my hidden talent for long speeches, I went on a jungle quest which my father had to take before surviving that and gaining access to Library where I learnt about my father's past and retrieved a dimension gate key.

I returned to the Sky Palace with new clothing and there was Chitose, who was dressed up and she looked really beautiful.

"Chitose...I'm back." I said as I put my hand on her shoulder.

"Arnold! I'm really happy." She replied, wrapping me in a tight hug.

"Oi oi!" Forte teased. "Good to see you returned, how was the quest?"

"Shorter than I thought and a bit anticlimactic." I replied. "But it's done now...so Chitose, how about that dance that we wanted?"

Slow waltz music began to play as if right on cue. I took Chitose's right hand with my left arm around her waist and she put her left arm around my shoulder and we began to dance.

"Well, I have to say you're really good." I praised.

"Thanks Arnold..." she replied, blushing but smiling. "...I had some dance training when I was very little. My grandmother would take me to a dancing class, she also inspired me to have a diary of my own, although you already know I have one."

We swayed around the dance floor, looking into each others eyes. "I do know about the diary, but I never want to read it. Because those are your secrets that you deserve to keep."

She gave me a quick kiss on the lips. "And that is why I love you, Arnold."

"And I love you too, Chitose." I replied, kissing her back.

* * *

A while later, we were in Library where Milfie had finally recovered, retrieving back all of her memories of Tact so that was one less problem to deal with. Wein and Lushati arrived in Unit #7 which was badly damaged. Wein was mortally wounded before he was gone, Lushati was unharmed and informed us that the Val-Fasc are preparing to use a Chrono Quake Bomb which was what was responsible for the Chrono Quake six centuries ago.

Our minds were focused on the final battle with the Val-Fasc and to wipe them out and their leader, Gern, before they could activate the Chrono Quake Bomb. They launched a counter attack to try and stop us, but with Milfie back to her normal self, we were able to stop them. We said goodbye to Lushati and we left Juno, all ready and psyched to face the Val-Fasc one last time.

After the fourth Chrono Drive, I was in the viewing park with Chitose, looking up at the night sky that was a little different from normal.

"Arnold, have you seen the stars?" Chitose asked with her arm around me. "They look different."

"It's cause these are the stars that the Val-Fasc see since we're approaching their home world." I replied, holding on to her hand.

"Look, isn't that Tact and Milfie over there?" she pointed me to two people by the Kafukafu tree, they didn't see us.

"Oh yeah...and look, they're sharing a kiss."

"I think it's because they want to fight for the same reason."

I looked back at her. "Same reason?"

"Yes...they mentioned about wanting to fight to keep the hope of Val-Fasc and humans being able to work together one day."

"Somehow...I feel like I want to do that too, even though the chances of that are very small."

Chitose nodded. "Yes, but that's why we are who we are, right?"

"Of course, we're Galaxy Angels." I boasted slightly.

"Galaxy Angels...I really like that name." Chitose wrapped her arms around me. "After this final battle, we're going to be together forever?"

"We will...believe every word I speak. I will fight with all I have tomorrow, Tact isn't the only one who wants to fight for the future."

"You're right, all of us are...then shall we seal the promise with a kiss?" She began to blush.

I smiled, looking into her turquoise eyes. "You don't need to ask, because I'll follow whatever love you wish for from me and I know that you would return your love for me."

"I always will, Arnold...always."

We moved our heads and made a gentle contact with the lips with our arms around each other, but then the gentle kisses became more passionate kisses. We had to stop to take a quick breather.

Chitose was still blushing, I had to laugh on the inside, I hope one day she gets over it. "I don't know what came over me then...but I really liked it."

"So did I...but we sealed the promise, now we must keep it alive and safe." I suddenly yawned, it was getting a bit late.

"We should go to bed now and since I completely trust you, I'd like us to share the same bed."

I blushed slightly. "Of course, I would like that indeed. I'll keep you safe tonight and I won't let go."

"Thank you." We left the park, trying to keep quiet since Tact and Milfie were still there by the tree.

* * *

After a desperate struggle, we finally defeated the Val-Fasc but it wasn't so straight forward. The fortress went down after taking out the bulwark satellites, one of which was obliterated thanks to the multi-purpose solar beam on my frame. But Gern's flagship that held the Chrono Quake Bomb was undamaged, we all focused our attacks on that ship and Gern and his flagship were no more but the Chrono Quake Bomb was activated.

I used my dimension gate key to open a portal whilst Tact sat by Milfie in her Lucky Star and her frame's wings pushed the Chrono Quake Bomb into another galaxy. We had saved the galaxy and we could look forward to an era of peace. Well, that was until Tact and Milfie had their wedding which happened a week later. After the wedding was over, Chitose and I booked a vacation in my home world of Juno, she was very curious about what it was like and so was I.

"Wow!" Chitose exclaimed, noticing the tall buildings around Juno. "To think that you used to live here."

"Yeah, even though I haven't been back here for the last twenty years." I replied. "But it's funny really."

"Hmm?"

"To think just over a month ago, we first met and nowadays we're a strong couple. You could say that we just clicked and although it took a while, it was worth it in the end."

"Yes...back then I was very formal and I didn't have much in the way of friendship, but you and the other angels taught me so much and I'll never forget them, because I wrote them in my diary."

I giggled. "Do you think you'll carry on writing in your diary?"

"I do, I really believe that."

We shared a kiss before continuing with our vacation on Juno. We weren't ready to take the next step in our relationship which was third base and I knew what that meant, but what we had right now was more than I could ever wanted.

Six months ago, I played the waiting game...and I won!

* * *

 **That is the Tact & Milfie route complete with Arnold and Chitose remaining as a couple for the time being. (I apologise if this looks a bit rushed, I'll try to not do that in the next set of chapters.) I think doing three chapters per one route will suit me good, it's just a nice round number for me, based on my writing methods.**

 **Coming up soon in the next chapter, the start of the Tact & Mint route and Arnold tries his best to impress Vanilla.**


	4. A Shy Appreciation (Mint Route)

**Here we go with the Tact and Mint route and this begins around Chapter four of the main story.**

* * *

A Shy Appreciation (Mint Route)

It had been a few days since I first joined the Angel Wing thanks to Tact's command and since then, I had become good friends with the girls, but there was one girl that I particularity liked a little more the others, Vanilla H. I wasn't sure what it was about her that made me interested in her. Was it her quietness, was it her dedication to helping everyone out on the ship? Whatever it was, I believed that I would be the one to help her see that life can be much happier than she thinks.

I was working on my frame and Vanilla was working on hers, we were the only two in the hanger since the maintenance crew were helping out with the supplies. I walked over to her after I was done checking my frame, it was time for to make the next step.

"Hi Vanilla." I said.

"Hello Arnold." she replied. "You doing well?"

"Sure am, I'm doing my best to keep my sugar level from dropping."

"Good." She turned to face me. "Do you need something?"

"Kind of, everybody seems happy with the supplies being delivered. I was about to join, but I was wondering if you'd like to join."

"No, there are still things left to do."

"But shouldn't you take time off and just relax?"

"I would consider that, but do you mind if I return to work?"

I could see this was close to getting nowhere, it was time to raise my charm level. "You're really great, Vanilla and you work very hard, but there's something I want to do for you."

"What do you mean?"

I stood behind her and put my hands on her shoulders. "Your shoulders must be stiff."

"Ah..." she gasped slightly, she may have been blushing.

"Oh...your shoulders sore...sorry about that."

She blushed a little more. "N-n-n-no...I'm okay."

I began to massage her shoulders. "They seem very stiff, don't you feel a little pain?"

"N-n-not particularly, is there something wrong with my body?"

"I don't think so, but I think your tiredness must be making your muscles stiff."

"Really? I feel the same as usual."

"Haven't you noticed, your neck must be also stiff." I moved my hands to around her lower neck lines and massaged it very gently. "When I massage your shoulders and neck like this, you'll get better circulation and your muscles will feel better."

"I certainly do feel a little better...thank you very much, Arnold."

I smiled. "It's my pleasure, Vanilla. Think of it as doing a favour for you in return for how much you've done for all of us."

She looked to the front. "No...I'm just doing the work given to me."

"But you don't need to concentrate on work so much. As an angel wing member, I can't help but be worried for you when you don't take a break."

"There is no need to worry, but thank you for your concern."

I stopped the massage. "If your muscles feel stiff in future and you want a shoulder and neck massage, just come to me."

"I will try to remember...there's still maintenance left to do."

"Yeah, I understand. Don't push yourself too hard."

"Yes...please excuse me..." She went back to her frame.

I left the hanger with a smile on my face, my charm level worked like...well, like a charm.

* * *

In the battles that followed, I had went from good friends to close friends with the angels and ever since the shoulder massage I gave to Vanilla, she had started to become a little less shy and more willing to accept a little bit of help, although it's been only me she's offered to help her, I hoped that soon she would accept help from the others.

It was the early morning after the Kafukafu fever died down a few days ago, I was confused on why it didn't affect me, Milfie or Tact. I was resting on the beach in the Whale Room when Vanilla walked in and she seemed to be a tiny bit wobbly although she was trying hard to not show it.

"Morning Vanilla." I said to her.

"Oh...m-m-m-morning Arnold." She replied, blushing. "You're awake early."

I sat up to look at her clearly. "Yeah, I couldn't sleep last night, because I was getting worried about you and about how much you've been working on curing everyone on the ship that had caught the fever."

"But I seem to be okay...actually, could you help me feed the space rabbits?"

"Your wish is my command." I got up and walked with her to the greenhouse that was near Kuromie's office.

"Good morning Vanilla and morning, Arnold." Kuromie greeted. "I don't see you here often, is there something special?"

"I'm just helping Vanilla out with the space rabbits."

Vanilla handed me some lettuce. "Here, hand these out gently and slowly, they're easily frightened."

"I'll do my best." I kneeled down and handed out some lettuce to one of the space rabbits who hopped and began nibbling on the food.

Vanilla meanwhile put down a bowl of some juice to the other space rabbits and they took small sips. My heart nearly skipped a beat because it was such a cute scene of Vanilla watching over the space rabbits, if she was holding one of them, it would be worth a picture to take.

"Do you like Vanilla?" Kuromie asked quietly

"Eh, was it you that asked that?" I asked back.

"Actually, it was the Space Whale. He also says that something wonderful could happen but it's up to you to make it happen."

I was smiling, happy to do be doing something for Vanilla whilst kneeling beside her. When the space rabbits were done, Vanilla got up but she was wobbling before her body started to collapse, thankfully I was there to grab her in time. I carried her to the infirmary where Doctor Cera was there to help out whilst I made a quick call to Tact.

A few minutes later, I sat beside Vanilla who was sleeping peacefully on the bed, I held her hand and it was that point that I began to feel close to her.

"Awww..." Cera sighed. "...you like her a lot, don't you?"

I blushed. "Umm...yeah, I do like her."

"Well I think you could be her man that wants to protect her and to be honest, I hope you do your best to help her smile and enjoy her life."

"I'll do whatever I can to make it possible."

The next day in the lounge, I was with the girls and Tact and we could only think of Vanilla.

"So Arnold." Forte said. "I hear that you were in the infirmary longer than all of us when we were visiting her."

"Oh yeah, now that you mention it." Ranpha added. "Arnold, do you like Vanilla?"

"Huh?" I gasped, trying not to blush. "I was just doing what any close friend would do."

"Yeah, he was just being there for her." Milfie added. "Like any of us would."

"But you do like her a little more than the rest of us, right?" Mint asked.

I blushed slightly, hoping Mint would not use her telepathy.

"Your face tells the story." Forte teased. "We're not letting you off the hook like that."

"No girls, leave him be." Tact intervened. "These things take time, so let's not make him uncomfortable."

"In that case, who do you like, Tact?" Ranpha asked.

Mint looked away, trying not to show her tiny blush, maybe she liked Tact a bit.

Vanilla then turned up and she seemed okay. "Hello everyone."

"Vanilla!" Milfie said happily. "I'm so glad you're back."

"Thank you...I will not push myself too hard any more."

"That's good to know." Tact replied.

I just smiled at her, happy that she was going to learn to take things easier from now on.

* * *

When we got word that we were invited to the Ball at Fargo, I straight away thought of who to pick as my dance partner, believing that it was time for the next step to be close to Vanilla. I went to her room and I was about to call for her when Tact showed up with a bouquet of flowers and he stood outside Mint's room.

"Hi Arnold, I guess we both have the same idea." Tact said.

"Kind of." I replied before pushing on the button on Vanilla's door. "Vanilla, it's me, mind if I come in?"

"Arnold...please come in." she replied.

Tact gave me a rose from his bouquet. "Good luck to you." He said.

"Same to you." I replied as I walked into Vanilla's room with the rose behind my back.

"Vanilla, I had a think about the offer you girls made."

"I understand...have you made your choice?"

"I have, but first, please accept this." I handed her a rose and she took it.

"A rose...t-t-thank you very much, Arnold."

"I have also made my choice..." I grabbed her hand. "Vanilla, I choose you as my date and my dance partner for the ball."

"Ah!" Vanilla gasped before she blushed in bright red. "A-a-a-Arnold...are you r-r-really okay with me?"

I smiled. "Of course, would you allow me to escort you?"

"Y-y-y-yes...I am in your care." She put the rose in a vase next to the other flower she kept.

"Then I have an idea, shall we go into Fargo and shop for clothing for the ball?"

Vanilla nodded. "T-t-that would be nice...Mint recommended a fashion store that is a walk away from the Elsior."

"Well if Mint says so, then it must be a trendy place. Speaking of Mint, I saw Tact standing outside her room, I think he's made his choice."

"Yes...don't tell anyone, but Mint has grown fond of Tact for some time, I think she'll be happy to be chosen as his date."

"I'm sure they'll have a good time at the ball. But for now, let's go shopping, I'll escort you all the way."

She blushed again. "Yes...t-t-thank you, Arnold."

I took her hand and we left her room and out of the Elsior and into the city of Fargo. The place was quite crowded, poor Vanilla got close to getting lost a few times.

"Arnold, are you here?" She asked.

"I'm right next to you." I replied. "You wanna hold my arm?"

"That would be best." She wrapped her arms around my arm, almost a little tight so she wouldn't let go.

We eventually found the store that Mint recommended and whilst Vanilla picked a dress she liked, I chose a trendy suit that fitted me and my style to almost perfection.

We both got the clothing we wanted and we took a sit down by a bench near the park entrance. I was sitting close to Vanilla and she was blushing once more.

"Are you okay, Vanilla?" I asked.

"F-f-f-forgive me, Arnold. I feel a little...light headed." She replied. "I feel...strange somehow...my pulse is pounding."

"I think it's because you're nervous. Don't worry about it, I'm sure that you and I will have a wonderful time when the Ball arrives."

"I hope so too..."

When the day of the ball arrived, I and the five girls were there and Tact hadn't arrived yet. I was in my trendy suit and I looked at Vanilla who was in her dress, she looked like a beautiful galaxy angel, no pun intended. The other angels were looking fabulous as well.

"Arnold, how do I look?" Vanilla asked.

"Beautifully gorgeous." I replied.

"Now that's how you compliment a woman's dress." Forte said. "Tact could learn a lot from you."

I smirked. "If Tact was with me, he wouldn't last a minute, but we already knew that."

"Ha ha ha!" Mint laughed. "Oh you, Arnold...still, I hope Tact gets here soon."

Then speak of the devil, he arrived in a rush, noticing us in our smart clothing. We all left Tact and Mint alone to let them have a good time. Then the girls left me and Vanilla and that was when the slow music began to play, Vanilla was feeling shy as a few people began to move around the dance-floor.

 _Background music: Galaxy Angel - Last Dance_

"Shall we dance, my fair lady?" I offered.

Vanilla blushed. "I-I-I've never danced before."

"It's easy to learn...if you let me. I promised you that you would be in my care."

"Y-y-yes...you did. Then please show me."

I put my left arm around her waist as I held her hand with mine and put her right arm on my shoulder. "Follow my lead, okay?"

She nodded.

We moved and around the floor to the waltz steps, Vanilla was able to get the hang of it pretty well. We never once stopped looking into each others eyes, my blue eyes were always desired, but her red eyes...now that I had the chance to look properly, I was drawn to them. I really liked her more than ever before, maybe she could be the one.

"Look, is that Tact and Mint?" she asked as we continued to dance.

I looked over to see them dancing together. "Oh yeah...they do look good together, despite the height difference."

"What about us?"

I looked back at her. "I say our heights don't matter, what's important is that we enjoy every day as it comes along and I want to help you cherish each one as a moment is created whether it's a moment for you, for me or for any of our close friends."

That was when I witnessed a moment I wanted to immediately cherish...she smiled.

 _Background_ _music ends_

* * *

But it wasn't to last as Fargo was under attack by Eonia's fleet, we pushed them back only to witness the arrival of the Black Moon. We were at a moment of despair until the angel wings appeared from our frames and we took the fight back once more. When we had a quick briefing with Creta and Tact who was assigned to resume his role as commander of the ship which made us all happy, our next destination was to travel to the White Moon.

After a quick resupply was finished, I noticed two supply merchants carrying off a huge animal costume which was weird, maybe Mint didn't like that one. I walked back to my room and Vanilla had just come out of hers. "Hi Arnold..." she said nervously.

"Hi Vanilla." I replied. "Is there something wrong?"

"I-I-I-I didn't get the chance to tell you because of earlier...thank you for the date." she began to blush. "You taught me how to dance and I'll never forget it...but that's not all. The lives that were lost at Fargo and planet Rhome."

"Yeah..." I sighed sadly.

She looked away, feeling sad. "What are we going to do?"

I took her hand. "We're not going to allow any more sadness, that's all we can do...and we have to do everything we can."

She looked back at me. "I...I believe that too...you're s-s-still holding on to my hand."

I blushed. "Oh...sorry, did you not want your hand to be held?"

"I didn't mind...it was warm." She turned around. "Excuse me, I have to take care of BunBun. We can talk again later..."

"Okay, I'll be in the my guest room if you need me."

Vanilla nodded and walked off whilst I went into my room and took a much needed rest after having to deal three battles among other issues.

* * *

Suddenly, I heard rushed footsteps outside my room. I walked out of mine to see Tact just coming out of Mint's room.

"Woah! What's going on?" I asked.

"Arnold, it's bad!" Milfie exclaimed. "Mint has been kidnapped!"

I blinked. "Kidnapped? But how?"

"The mascot costume I saw earlier." Vanilla replied. "Mint must've been inside."

Forte sighed. "To think that Mint's father would go this far to bring her back to the Blamanche family home."

"It's inexcusable! That man should be ashamed!" Ranpha yelled. "Well Tact, what are you going to do?"

Tact didn't seem to hesitate. "I'm going to bring her back, I don't care what her father thinks. Mint is a valuable part of the Angel Wing and I care for her."

"Good answer, Tact." I replied. "Now you better get a shuttle or something and fly down to the family home, we'll be leaving soon for the White Moon."

Tact rushed off to the hanger whilst the rest of us had to wait and hope for good news.

Sometime later, the shuttle returned and I had held Vanilla's hand. Out came Tact and Mint and she was safe, much to our relief.

* * *

After a tour of the White Moon and a bucket load of new knowledge pounded into our heads, all we had to do was wait until the final battle that was set for tomorrow. Eonia's fleet would be on it's way along with the Black Moon and Tact was doing has last routine check before the upcoming event.

I wanted to sleep well, but I wasn't able to. "I know...maybe the calm noise of the waves can solve this dilemma."

I left my guest room and went down to the Whale Room, I wasn't sure if it was Milfie's luck or just fate, but I noticed Vanilla by the beach-side.

"Evening Vanilla." I said as I sat down by her.

"Oh...e-e-evening, Arnold." She replied, blushing. "Are you okay?"

"Let's say that I can't sleep...I just can't stop thinking about tomorrow."

"I see...I am the same. Tomorrow...what's going to happen?"

"The way I see it, I think it's going to be the hardest battle we've had to face." I looked at her. "But I'm going to try my hardest to make sure you're not busy with repairs."

"I...don't mind if I'm busy...I'll do what I can to help you and everyone else we care about."

"It's wonderful that we can think alike."

Vanilla nodded. "But after that...if we win, what will we do next?"

"Hmm, that is a good question...I think we would return to the White Moon whilst Tact goes off on a frontier search for Lost Technology and I think Mint would be going with him."

She looked at me. "And what about us?"

"You and me?"

"Yes...do you think we can be...m-m-more than c-c-close friends?" She was blushing bright red.

I was almost taken back, I didn't expect Vanilla to ask something like that. Maybe I had helped her change for the better in some way. "More than friends?"

"Yes...I must tell you the truth...I have grown to like you ever since you joined the angel wing. With Tact's help, he showed me about how I should enjoy my life more happily and that I should share it with someone who I would...want to be with."

"Yeah, I think a lot of us did help along the way."

"So...do you want to be with me...because I want to make...memories...with you." she then looked away, thinking that I was hesitating. "...s-s-s-sorry..."

"Sorry? I haven't answered yet because I was in shock."

She began to sniff. "I...see...I'm bothering you...aren't I?"

Oh this was going south fast and Ranpha and Forte will kick my ass if I don't sort this quickly. I moved and kneeled in front of her, I put my right hand on her facial cheek and held her right hand with my left hand. Her innocent face and her red eyes that glowed under the moonlight, I finally had my answer and smiled.

"Vanilla...you're not bothering me at all...I want to be with you too."

She looked at me. "Really?"

I nodded. "I swear on it...I also want to be more than close friends."

She gasped silently. "You do?"

"Believe me...for our sake, I'll try to...no, I will do my best to fight and win...for you and me...nothing would make me happier than to be with you too, no matter what."

 _Background Music: Galaxy Angel - A Peaceful Time_

Vanilla smiled. "Arnold...I am so glad...ever since Sister Beryl died, I'd always felt alone somehow. I always tried to avoid other people as much as I could. But then, I met you and I began to...have these feelings for you...but I was very shy and I was scared that you...didn't feel the same."

I nodded. "To be honest...I was a little shy as well, but as a guy I had to be brave and start getting to know you which is how it led us to where we are now."

"When I'm with you...those feelings I had when I lived with Sister Beryl came back...when I'm with you, I feel warm."

I put my hands around her waist. "I understand the feeling...when I'm with you too, I feel happy."

"Then...can I give you something, Arnold?" she asked, almost whispering.

"Sure, I'll receive anything you wish to give me."

"Thank you..." she puts her hands on my shoulder and she moved her lips towards my cheek and kissed me. "...it's for tomorrow. Ranpha taught me it before I came to this room."

I blushed. "I see...then can I respond in kind?"

"Please..."

I moved my head and I kissed her on the cheek, causing her to blush. "Vanilla, no matter what happens tomorrow, I'll take great care of you."

She smiled back. "Yes...and I will take great care of you too...so we can create our memories together."

"Alright, that sounds like a great idea. We should get back to our rooms and rest for tomorrow."

"Yes...we'll do our very best."

We left the Whale Room holding hands and with smiles, happy that we took a step forward, no longer close friends but as a couple.

 _Background_ _music ends_

* * *

 **So as you can see, I've skipped the last few battles since they're not really needed in this What If chapter.**

 **Up next, Tact & Mint's relationship hits a bumpy road in Moonlit Lovers and Arnold & Vanilla try to have their first real kiss.**


	5. One Great Affection (Mint Route)

**Now for the Moonlit Lovers part and it begins around the first chapter of the game with a "fan club" twist.**

* * *

One Great Affection (Mint Route)

Six Months Later...

"Arnold." Chitose said on my screen. "Are we any closer to the Elsior?"

"We're not that far off." I replied. "Just keep following the enemy ships I detected on the radar."

"I hope we reach them in time." Vanilla said.

"We will."

It had been six months since Eonia and the Black Moon were defeated, but there were still remains of what was left of his fleet and I was leading two other angels on route to the Elsior that was about to be under attack by an automated fleet. We soon spotted the Elsior and the Trick Master to the side, Mint was ready for battle. When it was over, we boarded the frames inside the hanger, it had been a long while.

"The champ is here!" I remarked. "It's been a while."

"Arnold, good to see you, friend." Tact replied. "You did terrific out there."

"Hello Tact, it's good to see you again." Vanilla said. "Did I help?"

"Yeah, you were very good. I'm glad the two of you are doing well."

"Thanks." I replied.

Mint then came on by. "Well Arnold and Vanilla, happy to see you both after a long time."

"Yeah, we've missed you." I gave her a quick hug. "You and Tact doing well?"

"Of course, at first I was worried that the long vacation had dulled Tact's abilities. but that appeared to be unfounded."

"That's because I was fighting for you too." Tact replied. "By the way, where's the new girl?"

Chitose walked by and introduced herself to her and Mint. Chitose Karasuma was the new member to join the angel wing a week ago and as much as we tried to convince her to relax and call us by our first names, we came to a compromise and mentioning Ms. or Mr. in my case.

We walked to the bridge where Chitose gave out an explanation that was would be heading to the Zhada system but whilst able to head to a drop point for resupply near Criena station. Mint however decided to use her telepathy on Chitose as to tease her until Tact introduced Mint to her.

Mint showed Chitose to her room which would be next to Vanilla and speaking of her, she and I went to the infirmary first and Doctor Cera was surprised to see us.

"Oh...Arnold and Vanilla." Cera said. "Now there's two people I haven't seen for a long time."

"Hello Doctor Cera." Vanilla replied who held my hand. "How are you?"

"I am quite well, thanks and I can see you and Arnold are loved up."

"Straight to the point as always." I giggled. "You haven't changed."

"I also assume that you've kept your sugar level from falling, correct?"

"Yes...I'm taking great care of him and his health." Vanilla replied, smiling.

"And is he taking care of you in return?"

"I can assure you that I am." I replied.

We left the infirmary and it seemed Vanilla had something on her mind.

"Arnold, I must go and see the space rabbits." she said. "Could you go and get the lettuce that are in a crate from the warehouse for me?"

I nodded. "Sure thing...I'll be in the Whale Room as soon as I can."

"Don't rush...take your time if you have to be elsewhere along the way."

"I'll keep that in mind." I gave her a quick peck on the cheek and she left whilst I went to the warehouse.

I checked on a metal crate that was labelled 'animal food', I opened the contain lid and grabbed a wrapped packet of lettuce, I closed the lid and I left the warehouse. I walked over to the Whale Room as I promised and over to Kuromie's office.

"Vanilla, I've got the lettuce you asked for."

"Thank you." She replied, taking the lettuce packet from me and feeding the space rabbits.

"Ah, good timing Arnold." Kuromie said.

"Hi Kuromie, long time I guess."

"Yes, the Space Whale and I felt your presence when you arrived on the Elsior and we are happy to see you back."

"That's good to know, I bet everyone else is."

"Well...not quite."

I was curious. "Hmm, why not everyone?"

"Between you and me...the Space Whale has began to sense a little...unrest from a fan club now that Vanilla has returned."

"Unrest among a fan club...what the heck's been going here in the last six months?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to find that out for yourself...just make sure to be alert when Vanilla is with you."

"Thanks for the warning...I'll keep that in mind."

Vanilla walked up to me. "I've finished with the feeding."

"Thanks for doing that, Vanilla." Kuromie replied. "Appreciate the help. I'll see you both later."

Vanilla and I left the Whale Room and we took a seat in the lounge where Tact, Mint and Chitose were.

"Good of you to join us." Mint said. "It's a mini reunion since Milfie, Ranpha and Forte are not here for now."

"With tea, cakes and all." I replied. "Nice timing on our parts."

I sat down with Vanilla close to me and we held hands under the table.

"It has been a very long time since I last had cake." Chitose said. "So it's very exciting for me."

"Oh, you don't like sweet things?" Tact asked.

"No, I love them. But the sweets from my home planet were just tea candies."

"Today, I recommend the strawberry tart or lemon pie." Mint said.

I looked at Vanilla. "Wanna share a slice together?"

She smiled. "Yes...I'd love to. I'd like the lemon pie."

"Awww, isn't that sweet of you wanting to share?" Mint teased. "Anyways, this will be my first time tasting a strawberry tart, so I'll be having that."

"Both look so good." Chitose added. "I like strawberries, so I'll have a strawberry tart."

"I'll have a slice of lemon pie myself." Tact said.

"Alright, take the cookies and relax." Mint replied. "I'll bring everybody's order over, my treat." She went over to the counter, asking for a staff worker to help with the serving.

"Wow...thanks Mint." I replied before moving closer to Vanilla, still holding hands.

"Umm, this may sound forward from me, but how long have you and Ms. Vanilla been together?" Chitose asked.

"Six months and one week." I replied as Vanilla nodded with a smile.

I was tempted to say Seven Days and One Week...90's reference, where are my late 20yr olds at?! Uhhh, sorry for that fourth wall break, I'll continue...

"Here you are, everyone." Mint said as she brought two plates on a table as a staff worker placed two more plates.

"Thank you for treating us, Mint." Vanilla replied.

Vanilla and I shared the lemon pie with a fork and a teaspoon. She went first, eating a piece with a tea spoon and I went second with a fork. We looked at each other and thought of an idea. I took a piece and brought it to her mouth, she was smiling and ate it. She did the same with her teaspoon...we were completely lost in each others eyes.

But as we were enjoying it, I did think back to what Kuromie said about the unrest among the fan club...I hoped they wouldn't become a problem.

* * *

It was the next afternoon and Vanilla and I were in the park wrapped in a close hug, looking at each other in the eyes. We had often done cheek kisses but we decided that today, we were going to have our first kiss on the lips, the moment was right, no one else was around. But first, we had to say the words we hadn't said yet.

"Vanilla...I love you." I said.

"Arnold...I love you too." she replied.

We moved our heads forward, moving for our first proper kiss, nothing could stop this...

"LA LA LA LA LA!" A voice yelled from by the hedges.

We moved back and I looked to see a pair of crew workers that were hiding.

"Vanilla's Fan Club rules again!" The second crew worker said.

"Too bad, Arnold!" They ran away, laughing.

I looked at Vanilla...she and I agreed on one thing...someone call security, the mood just got killed...

We left the park and walked down to the Infirmary, Doctor Cera wasn't there which was very rare. We went into a close hug, attempting to get the mood going. The room was quiet and we began to smile at each other. Attempt number two, we moved our heads closer and our lips were inching towards contact.

Suddenly, the door opened. "Ugh! Vanilla, I have stomach cramps." A crew worker said. "Please help me."

We broke up the embrace.

"Please lie down here." Vanilla replied. "Arnold...we'll try again later...okay?"

I nodded and as I left passed the door, I looked back to see the crew worker showing a smug look, as if to say 'better luck next time'.

I went over to the snacks machine room by the elevator and I took a deep breath, thinking what I could do about that Vanilla fan club.

"Two times...two times they've interrupted me and Vanilla...if they do this a third time, I swear!"

"What's this about you and Vanilla?" Mint asked.

"Oh...Mint, it's just a minor problem. I'm just thinking of how to take care of it."

She looked at me with concern. "I see...you said it's about you and her, is something wrong between you two?"

"Well uhhh..."

I was cut off when three crew workers jumped in by surprise.

"There he is!" one said.

"Get him!" A second one added.

"You won't take Vanilla away from us!" the third one said.

I was getting slapped and kicked around my body.

"ACK!" I yelled as I fell down. "Owww...*cough* but why *cough*?!"

"HEY!" Mint shouted at them. "YOU LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

"Oh crap! It's the telepathy girl!" One of them said.

"Run!" A second one said and the three of them ran away.

"They were quick to run away." Mint said. "Arnold, are you okay?"

I was still down and in pain. "Maybe I'll look back at this and laugh one day, ha ha ha-ow my ribs."

"Let me help you up." I took her hand and I was able to stand back up. "What was that all about?"

"I think they were members of Vanilla's fan club." I replied, holding on to my stomach. "Damn, they got me good."

"Fan club...to think they would go this far to declare their love for their idol." Mint sighed. "We should go and tell Vanilla about this."

"Wouldn't it be better to speak to Tact about it since he has more authority on the ship?"

Mint looked at me angrily. "No! We can leave him out of this!" She spoke firmly.

I was taken back. "Woah, calm down. It was only a suggestion." I felt a little bit scared and upset.

Mint gasped slightly before she felt sad. "Oh goodness! I'm so sorry I yelled at you, Arnold...I just pictured Tact's face instead of yours when you mentioned his name."

"I see...did you two have an argument?"

She looked away. "Well if you could call it that, but here isn't the best place to discuss this."

"Shall we talk about it in your room?"

"I think that would be best, but afterwards, you should go and see Cera just in case."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Mint and I left the elevator room and walked upwards and into her room.

"Rich tea, Arnold?" Mint offered. "And do have a seat."

"Just a small one, thanks." I replied, smiling.

"Here you go...and here's some more of the rich candy we shared back when I gave you the room tour many months ago."

"Thanks again...so if you could start from the beginning, tell me what happened."

Mint sighed and sat down with me. "Last night, I went to look for Tact to wish him a kiss goodnight when I saw him being hugged by Chitose who was in her nightwear."

I blinked. "That would explain why I heard a bit of muffling when I was in my room last night. But do continue."

"Then this morning, Tact has been trying to explain that it's all a misunderstanding, but I've refused to let him. Then just over thirty minutes ago, Tact came back from Crinea Station with Chitose and he said he bought me a gift. But instead, I slapped him in the face and I ran away to where I found you."

"So you didn't give him a chance to explain about the gift?"

"No...and I didn't want to know. Worse still, my telepathy isn't working."

"Not working?"

"I don't know why, but I can't seem to read what's on the front of peoples minds, which was why I didn't read yours when I saw you."

"Well that doesn't sound good...but I think I may know one reason why that's happened."

Mint looked at me. "You do...then please tell me."

"You seem to believe that Tact is cheating on you and you don't want to use your telepathy to determine if it's true or not."

"Cheating..." she looked away, feeling upset. "...I know Tact very well and deep, deep down, I know that he would never do that...but what do I believe?"

I put my hand on her shoulder. "Mint, I think it would be best if you let Tact explain everything to you and if he's going to, he'll want to see you where you'd most likely be."

"My room?"

"Yeah...in any case, one way or another, I'm going to solve this fan club issue myself, I don't want you to have more problems to deal with."

"Alright, Arnold...and thank you for calming me down." She showed a little smile. "You're a sweet guy and Vanilla is very lucky to have you."

"And thank you for the tea and candy...wish me luck." I got off the chair.

"Best of luck, Arnold. I know that you can do it."

We shared a friendly hug and I left her room. Only to find Tact standing outside.

"Huh?" he gasped. "What were you in there for?"

"Trying to help her calm down so you can explain the story to her." I replied. "All I can say is good luck to you, because you're gonna need it."

Tact nodded and he went into Mint's room to discuss the issue and perhaps to make up as well.

"Right...now to get rid of the other problem."

I went down to the infirmary and Cera was there, but Vanilla wasn't. "Cera, do you know where Vanilla went?"

"Arnold...I think she went to the cafeteria."

"Thanks, excuse me."

I dashed over to the cafeteria and she was sitting with Chitose. I waved and sat next to Vanilla.

"Hi Mr. Arnold." Chitose said. "Vanilla and I were discussing what happened between Tact and Mint."

"We're worried about them." Vanilla added. "Are they going to be okay?"

"I'm sure they will." I replied. "We just need to believe that they'll kiss and make up."

"Speaking of kissing..." Vanilla drifted off with her words.

"Oh, that reminds me." Chitose said, getting up. "I have an important matter to take care off and I nearly about it, I'll see you both later."

She rushed off out of the cafeteria, leaving me and Vanilla.

"Okay...about the kissing, shall we try again?" I asked.

Vanilla nodded. "Yes...can we kiss quicker this time?"

"Yeah, let's make it third time lucky."

We moved our heads closer, about to push our lips together. We closed our eyes, inching closer and closer.

"MESS UP!" A voice yelled before I saw a crew worker run past us and out of the cafeteria.

I sighed angrily...for the love of the galaxy!

"Arnold...it's alright, the crew worker is gone." she said.

I took a deep breath and we moved our head closer, ready to try yet again, I could feel her breathing closer to mine...maybe fourth time would be the charm.

Suddenly, sirens went across the ship.

"Hostile fleet detected!" Almo spoke through the speakers. "All units, red alert."

"Okay! Now I'm pissed off!" I exclaimed. "The enemy have got a freaking nerve to show up now!"

"Arnold...please don't yell in front of me..." Vanilla replied. "Let's just get to our frames and eliminate the targets."

"You're right, Vanilla...I'm sorry."

We rushed to the hanger to get ready for battle. It didn't last long since Mint was able to clean house with Chitose doing well, but Vanilla and I could only handle one target each.

We boarded our frames and I was not pleased with my performance. I could see on Tact's face that he looked concerned about me and Vanilla.

"We're back, Tact." I sighed. "That wasn't very good of me at all..."

"It's alright Arnold, not everyone does well in every battle. I'm sure you'll bounce back next time."

"Tact, I wasn't able to repair as often, I'm sorry I wasn't helpful." Vanilla said sadly.

"No it's okay Vanilla, you did what you could...what happened, because I really want to help."

I sighed, feeling emotional. "Vanilla and I just want to have our first kiss, but we've been interrupted four times...three of which were thanks to Vanilla's fan club...is it too much to ask?"

"So that's why I saw you rushing into the cafeteria earlier." Chitose said. "Those crew workers seem to have no respect for you and Ms. Vanilla's privacy."

"Tact, I'm back." Mint said. "Did you see me out there?"

Tact smiled as he hugged her. "I did Mint, you were amazing, like I said you would be...but shall we go to the infirmary just to be sure your back to normal, or am I worrying too much?"

Mint looked at me, wiping my tears away. "It's a boyfriend's right to worry...but I would like Arnold and Vanilla to have their matter settled first."

"But how can Vanilla and I have our first kiss with all those crew workers running about?" I asked and I held on to Vanilla who hugged me back tightly.

"Leave it to us." Tact replied. "I'll go and speak with the fan club president."

"You and Vanilla go to the Whale Room." Mint added. "Chitose and I will guard the door so no one gets in."

"Yes, you can count on us." Chitose nodded.

"Thank you." Vanilla replied. "Then please, let's go."

We left the hanger and Vanilla and I walked into the Whale Room whilst Mint and Chitose stood outside.

 _Background Music: Seal - Kiss From A Rose_

Vanilla and I were happy to be alone again, but I wanted to cheer up before we tried our first kiss. We kneeled down and wrapped each other in a loving hug, setting the mood and not noticing that the virtual sun was beginning to set. We started to smile, moving our heads forward till our noses touched. We moved closer and closer, our lips being inches away and our eyes closed...until I felt the first touch of her lips before I felt the lips locked in with mine.

FINALLY! I got to kiss Vanilla on the lips...and we had our close friends who helped made it possible!

After a whole minute, we broke our first real kiss and hugged even tighter...both Vanilla and I were emotional that we shared what was the greatest kiss we had.

 _End Of Background Music_

* * *

The next day and after a successful battle against Rezom's fleet, Milfie, Ranpha and Forte re-joined and now all of us were back together again. I was in the park with Vanilla where I was laying down on the dry hill and Vanilla was beside me.

"Arnold, would you rest your head on my lap?" she asked. "I'd like to clean your ears, gently."

"I'd like that, actually." I replied.

I moved my head and rested it on Vanilla's lap and she began to clean my ears, it felt a tiny bit ticklish at first but I got comfortable with it. Both us were all smiles, ever since we had our first kiss under the virtual sunset, looking back it was quite a romantic scene. Vanilla then reminded herself that we were to meet in Chitose room cause she wanted to show us something.

We were met with mostly smirked expressions when we arrived.

"There you are." Milfie said.

"It's not like punctual Vanilla to be a little late." Ranpha added.

"So where were you and Vanilla, eh Arnold?" Forte teased.

"She was only cleaning out my ears." I replied.

"Yes...it's true." Vanilla nodded.

"Oh...well that's not romantic." Ranpha dismissed. "A romantic date should be at a classy restaurant."

"And if I had a man, I'll just stick to dancing at a bingo hall, thanks." Forte laughed.

"Anyways, let's leave them be." Mint said. "So what did you wanted to show us?"

"These...they're called sparklers." Chitose answered and she explained how they worked.

The next battles followed did not phase the strong relationship that Vanilla and I had. But on the day before the next one against Nefuria, I was in the Whale Room with Vanilla, looking at the night sky on a picnic mat that we borrowed from Milfie, we sat very close with my arms around her.

"To think that over six months ago, we were in this spot and we took the next step." I said.

"Yes...and now we're a strong couple." She replied. "After this battle...I have a favour to ask."

I looked at her. "A favour...what do you have in mind?"

"Can we visit a zoo...I would love to have a day out and visit the animals."

"Hmm animals that we don't normally see...I think we can make that possible."

She smiled. "Really?"

"Really, really...because I believe that we will win tomorrow and beat Nefuria."

"Thank you, Arnold. I love you."

"And I love you too, Vanilla...mind if we kiss again?"

"Yes...let us kiss for the sake of tomorrow's battle."

She turned around and we shared a loving kiss on the lips, confident that we would win...and that she would get her dream of visiting a Zoo come true.

"When we have our day at the zoo, I'll make sure to keep you close to me. I don't ever wanna lose you."

"Yes...I will never want to lose you either..."

She lay beside me on the picnic mat and I held on to her.

The night sky, the gentle breeze...this is what I wanted our relationship to be, but we knew that our battle with the Val-Fasc was only the beginning...

* * *

 **Up next, the third and final part of Tact Mint's route on Eternal Lovers and Arnold thinks of a question he wants to...pop.**


	6. Three Words (Mint Route)

**Here we are with the Eternal Lovers part where Mint's mind becomes a broadcast station and Arnold makes a life-changing decision.**

* * *

Three Words (Mint Route)

It had been a few days since we defeated Nefuria and it was also a few days since Vanilla and I were able to have our first kiss on the lips, we've shared a few since then. Vanilla had knitted me a sweater which was the right size thanks to some help from Doctor Cera, she also had one which was her size. What better way to show them than a day at the zoo on Transbaal that I promised.

"That elephant is huge." Vanilla said, holding on to my arm.

"It's a big difference compared to the animals on the Elsior." I replied, holding her hand.

"Yes...thank you again for bringing me here. Would you call this a favour for me?"

"Definitely...as I once said, you've done so much for everyone and you deserve a lot in return."

"Oh...Milfie said that she wants a group picnic at a theme park next week, can we make it to that?"

I smiled at her. "We can indeed. Let's enjoy our time at the zoo for now."

25 Days Later...

We were back on the Elsior, ready to resume our journey and face off the remaining Val-Fasc forces. After dealing with a small fleet that was in pursuit of a civilian ship, we boarded our frames after waiting a while and I took Vanilla to the park because I learnt something new and I wanted to show it to her.

We sat down by the hedges where there were a few soft branches and flowers that I needed. I picked out several flowers and picked out green small branches.

"What are you making, Arnold?" Vanilla asked.

I looked at her. "It's a flower garland...Tact showed me how to make it yesterday." When I finished crafting it, I placed it on Vanilla's head. "Here, try this on."

"It's beautiful..." she said, smiling.

"Hmm, that garland I just made almost looks like a veil...almost like you're some kind of bride."

She gasped slightly and blushed, I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing that.

"I know...I could make you a bouquet too."

She looked away, blushing. "No...this is more than enough."

"Okay...I wonder what kind of bride you would be."

She looked back at me. "Well, there are many customs...for marriage...that I would be interested in...maybe one day, I could have a real veil?"

"A real veil?"

"It's nothing, Arnold...I don't want to rush into anything, we still have work to do."

"I understand, we don't need to rush at all. Here's to our growing relationship that's at a pace we can trust."

We shared a kiss on the lips.

"Thank you very much for this gift, Arnold. I'll make sure to take good care of it."

"It's my pleasure, Vanilla...and it's because I love you." I put my arms around her.

She smiled. "I love you too..."

We shared another loving kiss that lasted longer.

"Woohoo!" A voice exclaimed from afar. "You go, Arnold."

We broke the kiss and noticed Forte grinning and the others turned up with Tact.

"Hi you two, we're having a picnic to welcome Lushati and Wein on the ship." Milfie said.

"We're not interrupting anything are we?" Ranpha teased.

"Girls, give me a break here." I sighed.

"Don't start the shy guy act, Arnold." Mint teased. "You should be used to this by now."

"Vanilla, you have a flower garland." Chitose said. "Where did that come from?"

Vanilla blushed. "Arnold...made it for me..."

"Nice to see my craftsman work being put to good use." Tact remarked.

I sighed in embarrassment. "Not you too, Tact."

The girls laughed before Milfie reminded us of the picnic, I sat down with Vanilla close to me and went ahead with the picnic.

Later on after a sprinkler malfunction, I was resting on Vanilla's bed since Lushati and Wein were using the guest room. I was dreaming away that involved me being on Eden and seeing what were potentially my parents until it ended up as a nightmare. I woke up, startled at what I saw in the dream.

"AHHH!" I yelled before panting, trying to catch my breath.

Vanilla suddenly rushed into the room. "Arnold! Are you okay?"

"Vanilla..." I wasn't clearly focused. "...this is...your room?"

"Did you have a bad dream?"

I sat up and switched my legs to facing her and wrapped my arms around her with my head on her shoulders.

"Vanilla...it was so scary..." I sniffed.

"Arnold...it's okay, I'm here for you." She put her arms around me. "I was outside the guest room with the other girls and then we heard you yell."

I couldn't say anything. "So you came over...thank you, Vanilla. I've always been here for you...but thank for you for being there for me too."

"It's alright...I will always want to be there for you...if you want to, could you tell me what was the dream about?"

I looked into her red eyes that showed care and comfort, she gave me a gentle kiss that got me brave to tell her about it.

"...and that's why I also think that dream was telling me something, maybe it's to do with my past."

"Your past?" she asked.

"Yeah, I hope to find out more so I can feel at ease whilst we're fighting against the Val-Fasc...for now, can we stay like this?"

"Yes...let me sit on your lap."

Vanilla sat on my lap and I held her close...the old Vanilla wouldn't have been this brave, but the her right now was who I loved.

* * *

After winning two straight battles, Admiral Rowil showed himself and revealed all about my parents that caused me to snap...I ran to the safest place which was Vanilla's room and I chose to not come out there for the past two days. Poor Vanilla was upset that I was broken and seeing her cry broke more than my heart. I made a solo trip to the White Moon where Lady Shatyarn confirmed it to be true. I had to head back to the Elsior but not before Shatyarn removed the limiter on my frame so I could fight even stronger.

After I got my revenge on Rowil, we pushed forward towards Eden when disaster struck! Mint's frame went out of control and Tact made the heart-wrenching choice to fire on the Trick Master so it shut down. Mint was going to be out and we were feeling devastated that it happened, but I knew it had Val-Fasc all over it. Then Unit #7 was stolen and I already suspected Wein to be the main culprit.

We were in pursuit of Wien until we caught up with him, however he got away with Lushati hypnotised and we had to fight our way through a sixth division fleet where allied forces were able to help us. We were scheduled for have a few days rest before resuming with our journey to Eden. We were on the White Moon when he heard that Mint had woken up.

"Where is she right now?" Chitose asked. "We'd like to visit her."

"Visit her, huh." Noah replied. "That may depend on her..."

"What's that mean?" Ranpha asked.

"Mint doesn't want to see us?" Milfie added.

Suddenly we heard a faint voice from in the throne room. _I have to hurry...if I don't back get back to my room on the Elsior, I won't be able to stand it!_

"Did you hear that?" I asked.

"Yeah, I heard Mint's voice." Tact replied.

 _Ahhh! That's where they all are, then I've got to force my way past them!_

Mint suddenly rushed in and saw us.

 _Thank goodness...Tact and everybody else are okay...ahhh! But I don't have time to think about that right now! I have to get back to my room!_

Mint then ran off, probably back to the Elsior.

"Well, that was odd." I said. "To think that her thoughts were being heard like that."

"What...just happened?" Forte asked who was surprised.

"More importantly, after her!" Ranpha said. "I'm worried about this!"

"Yep, got it." Milfie replied.

Tact stayed in the White Moon whilst the rest of us rushed back to the Elsior and outside Mint's room.

"Mint, are you okay in there?" I asked.

There was no response.

"Mint, come on out." Milfie said. "I made lots of cakes and desserts."

No response again.

"Step aside, Milfie." Ranpha said. "At times like this, you need a hot-blooded shout more than sweet words." She stood outside Mint's door. "Mint, if you just lock yourself inside, you're going to get fat from lack of exercise." She started banging on the door. "Gah! Hey! Did you hear me? Make some joke like you have a hundred times before."

"Ms. Ranpha!" Chitose gasped. "Don't hurt yourself with the door."

"Mint, it is not good for your body to be shut in your room all day." Vanilla said. "It didn't work..." she held my hand.

"Yeesh, this is a tough one." Forte sighed. "I'm stumped, that door is made of such steel that not even my Remington 887 shotgun would take it down."

"What about a rocket launcher?" I asked out of the blue.

Tact then walked on by. "There you are Angels, what are you doing outside Mint's room?"

"Well it's about as you see." Forte replied. "We're trying to invite the princess who shut herself up in her castle out."

"But...it's not going well." I added. "We've tried almost everything to get her to come out, but I think there's only one person who might...and that's you, Tact."

"I see...Mint doesn't want to see all of you." Tact replied.

"I can understand why..." Chitose said.

"Me too." Milfie agreed. "If my thoughts were spreading to everybody around me, I'd be really embarrassed."

"There's nothing but food in your head, anyway." Ranpha remarked.

"That's not true! Even I...awww, you bully."

"Tact, are you here to see Mint too?" Vanilla asked.

"Yeah, but if she's not coming out for all of you, I think it might be impossible." Tact replied.

"Not at all!" Chitose denied. "You're her boyfriend."

"Which is why I suggested that you should be the one to go in her room and talk it out." I said. "As commander, you should have clearance to do that."

"Good point, Arnold." Forte agreed. "Well, no use in us staying here and getting in the way. You're here now, Tact, so let's all head out, angels."

"I'll do whatever I can." Tact replied. "I'm also responsible for this."

"Please excuse us." Chitose said.

We left Tact to deal with the new problem whilst the rest of us took a seat in the lounge.

* * *

Later, Vanilla sat close with me on her bed, she laid close to me with her arms around my neck and I had my left arm around her shoulder.

"Arnold...I can't feel happy, because Mint is..." Vanilla sighed.

"I'm the same." I replied. "Mint and the others are our closest friends and any one of us would do what we could to cheer her up."

"But how she is...will she not be able to fight?"

"I don't think Tact would want to have her in battle, not with her current condition. It's why we've gotta believe that Tact will do whatever he can to help Mint recover."

"Yes...I will believe in that."

We snuggled up even closer with smiles, until we got a call to come to the bridge.

"Angel Wing, all members...well, you know what's going on already." Forte said sadly.

"I do understand." Lester replied. "But this and that are two different matters."

"Let her off just this once." Tact said.

"Hmph...I'll let it go this time then."

"So what's the situation?" I asked.

"The maintenance crew just finished their check around the ship as you suggested." Lester replied. "And you were right...Wein's farewell presents just keep coming."

"We found Wiretaps all over the ship." Tact added. "Therefore I have made the decision that we're leaving tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, that really is sudden." Forte replied.

"Wein knows all of our Intel." Chitose said.

"In other words, about Mint too." Vanilla added.

"Then we shouldn't waste any time." I said. "Let's prepare ourselves for tomorrow's departure...we've been behind a lot, but it's our chance to recover... but before that..."

"Yeah, we need to get our ace to recover." Lester finished.

We left the bridge and into our rooms.

It was the next day and I was in the hanger, checking over my frame when I suddenly heard a voice.

 _Did the psychic barrier...break? Why would it have...that means that it can't stop my thought from getting transmitted outside..._

I blinked, that was Mint's voice alright, the psychic barrier around her room must've broken...that's not good at all. Now her thoughts are gonna be sent across the ship.

 _Don't think about anything! Whatever I think will get sent outside!_

I sighed as I continued checking over my frame.

"Did you hear that?" Creta asked "That sounded like Mint."

 _I don't want this! Don't listen, everybody! I don't want you to listen!_

"It was." I replied. "You might wanna get a team to repair the psychic barrier around Mint's room."

 _I don't know anything about costumes! The things in here aren't mine!_

"I think Tact would request for that as well...we'll do our best."

 _If anybody saw me wearing them besides Tact, I'd...aww no more! I can't think that either!_

I was curious, just what do Tact and Mint usually do and why are costumes involved? I finished checking over my frame and I left the hanger and sat down in the lounge.

Suddenly, crew members got a call to not leave their rooms, now the ship was somewhat deserted.

"Arnold." Milfie said as she arrived. "We've been tasked to find Mint and make sure she doesn't escape from the Elsior."

"Right...I think it's best if we stick around here just in case Mint tries to hide or sneak past us."

Milfie nodded. "Okay."

 _Why'd everybody suddenly disappear...well, it is easier for me..._

"Did you hear that?" I asked.

"Yeah...but where could she be?"

 _Ah! What is Ranpha doing here in the warehouse? Aww, it's because you're so stubborn like this that men never want to get close to you!_

"Woah!" I exclaimed. "Low blow there, Mint."

 _What happened? She suddenly started running faster...ah there! Like I thought, Ranpha's big butt got caught between the boxes. I have to get out here while I can..._

"Aww, Ranpha didn't get her." Milfie sighed.

 _Ahhh! Now it's Forte! Even though she's a gun nut and trigger happy, I don't think she'll actually shoot me...but she might...ahhh! Forte! I didn't mean that just now! Someone else borrowed my mouth without my permission!_

"Sounds like Mint got away from Forte." I commented. "This is getting tough quickly."

 _Chitose and Vanilla? Two of you isn't fair!_

"Ah, Chitose and Vanilla may be able to catch her." Milfie said.

 _Chitose looks dignified, but she's actually really brutish! I can't believe she jumped through that flower bed! Ah, but she missed the landing and fell on her face. Come to think of it, she makes a lot of careless mistakes._

"Flower bed?" I asked. "They must be in the park."

 _Okay, I've got to get out of here while I can. Vanilla's a little slow, I should be able to get away easily..._

I sighed...my girlfriend didn't need to hear that.

"Sorry you had to hear that, Arnold." Milfie said. "Looks like it's just us and Tact now...say do you mind watching over the lounge, I'm feeling hungry."

"Well, I am a fast runner so if I see Mint come past here, I'll just catch up to her."

Milfie nodded and went over to the counter whilst I looked around the whole room.

 _If it isn't the gluttonous Milfie. Thank goodness she can't resist anything sweet. Arnold is there too, but why isn't he running after me...oh well, maybe he's dreaming about what he would look like if he was a stripper...now, before it's too late._

What Mint didn't know was that I saw a tiny part of her bunny ears peeking through the room entrance. As soon as she left, I got up and left the room, I didn't wanna lose the tail. I followed her right up to outside Tact's room and I hid in a corner.

"I'm tired from running away so much." Mint said to herself. "I'll just rest...here..."

"Oh no you don't." I muttered, before I rushed over and grabbed her "Gotcha!"

"Gah! What are you doing, Arnold, let me go!"

"Not a chance...you can't pilot a frame and leave the hanger while we're in Chorno Drive, that's asking for a lot of trouble."

"I...don't care." she sighed. "So...tired...fine, do what you...want...with me..."

She passed out, maybe she was more exhausted than I thought. Tact then came on by.

"There she is." He said.

"Shhh." I replied. "Mint just fell asleep, you take care of it."

"I will." Tact carried Mint into his room.

I went to Vanilla's room and walked in to find her sleeping on the bed. She seemed a little hurt...I walked gently over to her and I laid down beside her on the bed. Thinking back...is that what Mint really thinks of me? A man who has no shame in doing something undignified like being a male stripper?

After two hours of sleeping, I opened my eyes to see Vanilla had turned and she was holding on to me by the hands and then a beep went off on the speakers.

"Ah, ah. This is the Elsior's Commander, Tact Mayers." Tact said. "Er, this is very important so please listen...ahh...I LOVE MINT!"

That woke me up and I think Vanilla woke up as well.

"I am hopelessly in love with Mint! No, love isn't a strong enough word! Mint is everything to me." He continued. "I can't hold back these feelings inside me anymore, so I've decided to reveal them to everybody! I love her, so I can say anything."

Vanilla and I just blinked in surprise, Tact never did this before.

"I need her and if she's not with me, then life's not worth living anymore and that's still not enough! I want to always be with her...to hold her close and kiss her all day long. Because I love her from the bottom of my heart and soul!"

 _If he doesn't shut up..._

We heard a faint voice, looks like Mint had woken up and I bet she is extremely embarrassed about Tact's message about loving her. Vanilla and I looked at each other and thought of the same idea.

We got off the bed and walked up to the bridge and the other girls were with us.

"There you are, Angels." Tact said.

"Well Tact." I replied. "You've got a lot of guts to do what you just did."

"Okay Mint, you understand why we're all here?" Forte asked.

"Yes..." Mint replied. "Earlier, you all found out how I really feel...I've been preparing myself."

 _No...I don't want this, I love you all..._

"Fine, then each one of us will say it clearly."

 _This is it, this is the end..._

"Actually, I don't like those ears of yours. It's like, you're just doing something that you know nobody else could pull off."

"I'd know the feeling. If I were small like her, I'd wear much cuter clothes." Ranpha added.

"You know, sometimes I almost start crying because of the jokes you make, Mint." Milfie said. "You can honestly be surprisingly harsh."

"Um...I think you should try to be less sarcastic, Ms. Mint." Chitose added.

"Please stop pulling on the space rabbits ears when you play with them." Vanilla said.

"Stop thinking of me being somebody that I'm really not." I added. "I would never, ever want to be a male stripper."

"A m-m-male s-s-s-stripper?" Chitose exclaimed.

"I don't know, Arnold. I think you have the right physique for it." Ranpha teased.

Vanilla glared at her, not pleased by her comments about my body.

"Uhhh angels." Tact intervened. "Anyways. Mint, I'd also prefer it if you didn't enjoy teasing other people so much. So, we've told you how we all feel. Do you hate us now?"

"Of course not!" Mint protested. "I couldn't hate you for just that...ah."

"Right, this is what you were worrying so much about. But your feelings didn't waver because of it. Instead, it feels like we're closer than we were before."

The rest of us agreed with our own thoughts.

"Geez." Mint sighed. "You're all really...completely ridiculous people."

"Ahhh, now you're getting it." Milfie said.

"Don't forget that you're part of this ridiculous group too." Ranpha added.

"Well Mint, I've said everything I wanted, now I want you to say those words to me." Tact said.

"To you?" Mint asked, blushing. "I still don't know if I can..."

 _I was embarrassed when you said those words but now I think about it, I was happy...oh right, my thoughts are still being leaked out._

"Come on Mint." I encouraged. "Or should I start removing my clothes one by one?"

Vanilla gripped my hand tightly.

"Ha ha ha ha!" Mint laughed. "Alright everyone, you got me...I, Mint Blancmanche, declare here and now that I love Tact Mayers more than anybody in the galaxy! Yes, my love for him is the greatest in the whole galaxy! I cannot think of a life for myself without him any longer, all of me belongs to him and all of him belongs to me."

We stood there in surprise, but smiling.

"Whew...although, letting out how you really feel does feel rather nice."

"What the heck?" Lester asked.

"I think I fell in love with an amazing girl all over again." Tact replied.

"Oh...can you hear it?" I asked.

"My thoughts..." Mint replied. "...you can't hear them?"

"I don't hear anything." Forte said.

"Yes! My condition has gone!"

"You did it Mint!" Tact praised. "And you did it without needing Unit #7."

And it was perfect timing too, because the Chrono Drive was about to finish and we'd be approaching Juno...my home world.

* * *

After wiping out the Val-Fasc and forcing Wein to retreat. We were invited to attend a victory ceremony at a ball room in the Sky Palace. But before I could do that, I went on a short jungle quest and survived it, earning access to Library where I learned about my parents past and retrieving dimension gate key. But that could wait for now, it was time for the ceremony but I also had to get something else...I made a quick trip to a jewellery store, I wanted to create a big moment when the time was right.

I finally arrived at the ball with my suit and the girls were there, although Mint seemed to be missing as was Tact. I saw Vanilla in her dress...I was blown away by how beautiful she looked, even more so than the dress she wore back at Fargo...even though that night ended on a sour note thanks to Eonia and the Black Moon.

"Arnold...mind if we dance?" Vanilla asked as slow music began to play.

"It's been a long while since we danced." I replied. "But we can do this, follow my lead as before."

Vanilla nodded and we began to dance with her body close to mine. Looking into her red eyes, I knew I had no regrets on making my decision that was still to come.

The Val-Fasc launched a counter attack to try and destroy the Sky Palace, but with Mint fully recovered, we were able to swat them down. Noah then gave us a lot of info for our next objective. To eliminate the Val-Fasc in their home-world before they use the Chrono Quake Bomb. It was taking a few Chrono Drives to get to Val-Vaross, but we weren't worried, we needed the long downtime before the final battle.

I was in the park with Vanilla, looking at the night sky above us. They were the stars that were seen from the Val Fasc's home world, according to Tact. I looked at her with a smile, remembering that I had the small jewellery I bought, it was time to make a big decision.

"Vanilla." I said. "We've been together for over seven months and I wanna say that I love you with all of my heart and soul."

"Arnold...I deeply love you too. I am happy that we've been together for this long and I want that to continue...there's no one else I would want to be with than you."

I took her hand and I pulled out a ring from my jacket pocket. "Then, would you consider this commitment ring?"

Vanilla gasped. "You...want to...marry me?"

I put the ring on her ring finger. "I do...you're the one I want to spend my days with. It's not an engagement ring since you're not 18 yet, but it's a ring to remind you that you are committed to being my wife one day."

Vanilla cried a few tears but she was happy. "Yes...as you said. I'm not 18, but I will keep this ring...because I want to marry you too."

I wiped her tears away. "It's for our future too and tomorrow, we need to fight to keep the dream alive."

"Yes...I will fight for you too."

"Because we're Galaxy Angels."

"Galaxy Angels...I like that name, Arnold."

Vanilla and I moved our heads forward and shared a kiss that became passionate as I laid down on the dry grass and Vanilla laid on top of me, wrapped in the arms of affection and of our romance. We were ready for the final battle for peace and for perhaps what lies beyond the dimension gate key as the prophecy in my fmaily tree book said.

When that passed by, last word I heard from Tact was that he and Mint went off to have a cruise on an exotic island. Whilst I went with Vanilla to visit her home planet.

I do believe that in the future, Vanilla and I will eventually marry when she is of age...I love her and I always will...

* * *

 **The Tact & Mint route is now complete and Arnold & Vanilla's relationship wraps up with a commitment to marry in the future.**

 **Coming up soon in the next chapter, the Tact and Forte route begins and Arnold learns what it's like to date a telepathic.**


	7. Fast Food For Thought (Forte Route)

**Alrighty, time for the Tact and Forte route which begins halfway through chapter 4 and Arnold plans to know more about Mint in this route.**

* * *

Fast Food For Thought (Forte Route)

The supply situation had been resolved thanks to me and the angel wing. Speaking of the angel wing, the frames were piloted by five beautiful girls, but there was one that caught my eye a few times since I first met them...Mint Blancmanche. She was the shortest in terms of height, but her personality more than made up for it. She had bunny ears and was telepathic, meaning she could read people's mind but only what's on the front of people's minds. She was also quite elegant yet had potential to be quite childish and she likes to tease a lot of people.

When I first met her, I made the amateur mistake of thinking in front of her, she answered the question I had in mind without me realizing it and ever since then, I've tried my best to not think about what's on the front of my thinking when talking to her. But sometimes, love works in mysterious way and despite her telepathy and height difference, I was somewhat attracted to her. Whenever she smiled, I smiled back and when she looked at me with her golden eyes, I do think if I could become more than just a friend.

Now that I was one with the Angel Wing and morale was being rebuilt, I decided to make this a chance for me to get to know Mint more.

Whilst the resupplying was going on, I checked around the ship and hoped to find Mint. I checked into the lounge but there was a karaoke show going on and Milfie and Ranpha were on stage, singing, although their voices weren't exactly in tune, I had to stifle out a small laughter on the inside. I then checked in the elevator room to find a small shopping scene occurring.

"This is your one-time only special offer on all of our products on today." The supply merchant spoke. "You over there, are you interested?"

He looked at me as I walked in. "Maybe I am and maybe I'm not."

"Well, would you be interested in this trinket, hand-crafted by a former explorer from Planet Rhome?" He offered me a trinket that had a few diamonds around the sides.

"Actually, this is pretty well made...I have a sudden urge to get this." This could be what I need to impress Mint, so I made the purchase and then a fanfare went off.

"Congratulations!" The merchant. "That is the 50th purchase made today, you've won a huge cuddly stuffed panda!" One of the merchants handed it over to me.

"Well...I guess I'm lucky today...although what could I do with this?" I asked myself.

Suddenly, I saw Mint in the corner of my eye who had peeked through the door, she sighed and walked away. I felt sorry for her, I guess she wanted this badly...I know, I'll give this to her when I see her.

I left the elevator room and walked over to the lounge and Mint was there, she was drinking tea but she wasn't smiling. I walked over to her and I placed the stuff panda beside her with a smile. She noticed me and gasped.

"Hi Arnold." Mint said. "Are you giving this to me?"

"Yeah, I think it would be better off if it was yours instead of mine." I replied.

She suddenly smiled. "Awww, thank you so much." She gave me a quick hug. "Oooh, is that something else you bought from the merchant sale?"

"Yeah...I bought this trinket because it looked well made and I thought of you."

Mint looked surprised. "You thought of me?"

"Yeah...but where shall we put the stuffed panda?"

"I know, bring it with you to my room."

"Your room, are you sure you want me in there?"

She giggled. "Now now, Arnold. You were brave to give me these gifts, don't be shy."

I smiled. "Fair point."

I walked with her with the gifts to her room, we were about to go inside.

"Just before we go to my room, what do you imagine my room to be like?" She asked.

I immediately thought of it like a house made of candy, with rock candy, marble cake and lemonade that comes out of a tap.

"Ah, so much imagination on your mind." Mint said. "While a room made of candy would be wonderful, I couldn't live there."

"Well, it was a very good guess on my part." I replied, before realizing what she just did. "Oh...tch, don't just casually use your telepathy."

"Hehe, it has it's practical uses, please come on in."

I walked inside and this was the first time I saw her room, it was elegant yet had room to be feminine and inviting. There were costumes on one side of the room.

"So this is your room? It feels pretty elegant and welcoming." I commented.

"Thank you, please have a seat." Mint replied as she stored the stuff panda by the costumes and placed the trinket on the glass table. "I'll put the kettle on for tea, we can share some candy while we wait."

I sat down as Mint walked over to a mini shelf full of sweets and picked a packet and brought it over. "It's interesting, actually."

"What is?"

I looked at her. "Your room is the first one I've been in."

"Oh I see...Arnold, would you like sugared beans or space tofu with your tea?"

"Sugared beans, please."

Shortly, Mint brought my tea over and I took a sip, it wasn't too hot for me.

"You know, I don't do this often." she said, sitting down opposite to me with her tea. "It's quite a breath of fresh air."

"Same here." I replied. "Hard to think that over a week ago, I was a normal maintenance crew worker and now I'm getting to do this."

"Yeah...you should be quite lucky. I don't invite boys into my room...ever."

"So I'm the first one?"

"Correct...and I'm glad that you're here, because now I can get to sit down and talk with you."

"Well, I'm always willing to listen on what's on your mind...although I said that once before back at that fortune-telling."

Mint giggled. "Ah, you're such a charmer, Arnold. But that's who you are...anyways, I've been wanting to find the time to know more about you." Wait, was she blushing? "But before you joined the angel wing, you were nearly always busy. I once thought I wasn't ever gonna talk to you."

"Really? You've been wanting to speak to me for that long?"

"Yes...I like to say that I like being elegant and I like to keep myself clean and enjoying the peace and quiet whilst drinking tea. But that's just one side of me, I have another side that I don't share unless I have some candy in front of me."

I nodded, paying attention to her.

"When it comes to candy however, doesn't it seem a bit like I'm still a child?"

I shook my head. "Course not, I like candy too, they're cheap and there are many different kinds. So you don't need to worry about that, I'm more than happy to chat with you and share on candy and drink tea."

Mint was happy again. "I'm happy to hear you say that. Until I left my parents, I wasn't able to enjoy candy or fast-food."

"Really..." I sighed.

"What's wrong, Arnold?"

"It's nothing...when you said parents, I wondered if I ever really had parents."

"Oh...forgive me, I didn't mean to bring anything up that might hurt you."

"It's okay, Mint. I've worked hard to be strong mentally and physically, although I'm lacking in the latter, according to Ranpha."

"Well if you ask me, I think you look very good just the way you are."

"Thanks Mint, that really means a lot." I smiled. "So you've never had fast-food before?"

"Actually, I went to a fast-food restaurant once, back on a trip when I was 12." She smiled back. "It was the first time I enjoyed such an open-hearted meal and didn't have to worry about manners, I was very deeply moved."

"I see...even though I haven't seen it for myself, I believe that would be very like you."

"Yeah, very. It was the first time I knew that such exciting food existed in this world. But I'm surprised about you, you've never had fast-food before?"

"Nope...not for as long as I can remember."

"I see...ever since then, I've never had a chance to go out for fast food, even though my longing was intense."

"Couldn't you go with the Angel Wing?"

"We usually are in the base, but that was before we all joined on the Elsior. Besides, it would be a little embarrassing to admit that I'd been out once."

"Well I don't think they would care that much although I don't know the details since I only joined your group a few days ago. Couldn't you just casually say to them that you wanna go out for fast food?"

"Do you think so?"

"Yeah...but I tell you what. If we get any downtime during or after the war with Eonia and we're on a space station or planet, shall we go out for fast food sometime?"

Mint gasped, smiling. "Well Rhome is our current destination, but yes, that would be wonderful! It would make a nice change from the Elsior's cafeteria."

I smiled, feeling a little proud. "Then it's sorted. When we get to Rhome, I'll take you out for fast-food and we can go to all the restaurants you want."

"Oh!"

I looked at her. "What's up?"

Mint blushed again. "You mean...as in a date?"

Now I felt awkward about it, but I did want to take Mint out on a date. "Well...yeah, I think we would have a good time and it would give me a chance to try fast food for the first time.

"I see...well I've told you about myself, mind if I know about you a little more?"

I nodded. "Well aside from my humour and my willing to care for everyone close to me, the furthest back I can remember is my 20th birthday and that was last week."

"Yes, I remember that day. You were with a few crew workers down in the warehouse and you were dancing away after drinking a bit too much."

I blushed in embarrassment. "But that was the only birthday I remember, I don't remember any of the previous ones. Now that I think about it, I can't even remember if I had any other birthday or if I even had one."

"Didn't you say that you didn't know about your parents?"

"Yeah...the only thing I can remember was what Lady Shatyarn told me and that I was transferred from Transbaal Orphanage to the White Moon when I was old enough to start a career in the military. It was also a special request that Lady Shatyarn made which was what got me to where I am now on this ship."

"Well that would explain why you came to the Elsior...now I'm really glad to know you."

"I feel much better in knowing that...and besides, if I hadn't join the Elsior, I wouldn't have to got to meet you and all the other beautiful girls."

Mint giggled. "Oh Arnold, you flatterer."

"It's odd, but I feel better talking to you about it. I feel like I can tell you something and you would understand."

"I feel the same, Arnold." She nodded. "My mind feels much lighter after saying all of this."

"Well, thanks for the tea and candy, I'm glad to have gotten these for free...in some way."

"You're very welcome. It's my way of saying thank you for the stuffed panda and the trinket...I need to have a quick rest, I'll see you again, Arnold."

"Alright, I'll see you again, Mint...I'll remember to keep the fast food idea in my head."

"Thanks...make sure you do that."

We shared a quick hug and I left her room, walking back to mine. I think Mint and I just became close friends...score one point for Arnold Williams!

* * *

After several days of fighting with slipping out of two enemy fleets at one point, we safely travelled to the space station of Fargo in Rhome. Tact announced that after the ball, he would be relieved as commander of the Elsior, but we were invited to attend the ball and thinking back to how close I became with the girls since, I decided to kill two birds with one stone...metaphorically speaking.

I stood outside Mint's room when Tact appeared with a bouquet of flowers and he stood outside Forte's room.

"Hey Arnold." He said. "Are you here to ask one of the angels out?"

"Yeah, ten minutes ago, they met me in the lounge and offered to be my date and said that I could only choose one." I replied.

"Well in that case...good luck." He gave me a rose from his bouquet.

"Cheers, Tact." I pushed the button on Mint's door. "Mint, it's me, I have something to give you."

"Oh Arnold." Mint replied. "Please come in."

I walked into Mint's room where she was standing and I pulled out a rose.

"It's kind of you to come all this way...oh, is that rose for me?"

"Yes and I want to give you this for a reason."

"Is it to do with the offer we girls made earlier?"

"Yes it is..." I took her hand and looked into her eyes. "...Mint, I choose you to be my date for the ball."

She blushed. "Thank you very much, Arnold. It'll be a pleasure to be with you for the upcoming night."

I smiled. "Thanks, Mint...but before we do, shall we go to a fashion store now that we're at Fargo?"

"Yes, that would be marvellous. There's a fashion store that would be ideal for what I'd like to wear."

"And as promised, after we've shopped there, we can stop for fast food on the way."

Mint felt happy hearing that. "I'm glad that you remembered that, then we can go now, I'll need you with me of course."

"Then milady, allow me to escort you around Fargo for the day."

"Thank you, mister gentleman, he he he."

I took her hand and we left her room, walking out of the Elsior and into the Fargo city.

"Alright, we should get your dress first and I'll get a suit whilst you're trying dresses on. Are we close?" I asked.

"It is nearby." Mint replied. "I read all the reports beforehand, so I believe I'm fully prepared."

We found the store we were looking for and entered inside, it was indeed classy, quite fitting for Mint.

"Here we are." Mint said. "Arnold, the suits are over there. I hope you pick one that'll impress me."

"I will do my best, as long as your dress impresses me too."

"He he he, then I shall agree to that compromise. I'll try not to take too long."

She was greeted by the store clerk whilst I went over to the suits and after trying out a couple, I picked out one that was ideal for me. When I was done, I went back to Mint, she had made her choice, but she seemed a little down.

"What's wrong, Mint?"

"I had my measurements done so my dress will be ready for the ball, but I should still be growing a little bit in terms of my height." she replied, looking down. "It's a little embarrassing somehow."

"I see...don't worry about it, it's just individual variation in growth. You'll grow sooner or later."

Mint looked at me. "I wonder..."

"I think it's true. If you like, shall we go to a fast food restaurant after we leave?"

"Huh?"

"Didn't we promise to have a tour of the fast food restaurants? Getting something good to eat will feed the mind and body."

"Hehehe." Mint giggled. "That is an interesting logical conclusion."

"Well it was an on the spot idea, just like my battle tactics."

"Well I'm thankful for the encouragement and you for cheering me up." she took my hand. "Okay, let's go to a fast food restaurant."

I smiled. "Indeed, let's begin the second part of our date."

We left the store with the outfits we got and we explored to find a few fast food restaurants down a pathway.

"There's so many of these...which one shall we try first?" I asked.

"I already have a plan." Mint replied. "First we can try the Whopper, then the Tropical Fruit Pies, then the McFish, then the Thunder Cafe's Chicken Tacos and finally Kentaria's teriyaki burger combo."

I blinked. "Woah! We're going to do all that in one day?"

"Of course...it's our first date after all."

"Well...good thing I haven't had anything to eat since the early morning."

"Then you should just as hungry as I am...come on."

We found a fast food store and took a seat together, it was my first time being at one of these places. We ordered our food and began to eat away, my first fast food ever and it was well worth choosing Mint for this. I looked at Mint and she was feeling the same way as I was, it was wonderful to see her so happy and being with me.

"Mmmm." Mint said. "Fast food really does taste different. It's even more delicious than I expected."

"My first time...this is so good." I replied. "Oh, our drink is a share size as well."

"Oh yes...I just noticed that...then shall we drink it together?"

"Yeah, let's see who can finish it first with our straws."

"Oooh, challenge accepted, Arnold."

We each took a straw each and started drinking it, but the food I ate didn't help my chances. I was only able to drink nearly half of it, but Mint carried on and almost finished it before she stopped.

"Whew...looks like I drank more than you did...so technically, I win." Mint said happily.

"You sure did...but it's taking part and enjoying it that counts more." I replied.

"This has been a great day, we should look forward to the ball."

"Way ahead of you on that one, I'll be ready for that night."

"Good, hehe..."

It was the next night, we were at the ball in our chosen outfits. I saw Mint in her dress and she looked absolutely beautiful, like an enchanting princess. I was in my trendy suit and I made myself look good in it.

Tact then arrived and he and Forte went to a casino room whilst the other girls went off to be offered to dance by other people. Mint didn't need one...because I was her dance partner for the evening.

 _Background Music: Galaxy Angel - Last Dance_

Slow music began to play and I looked at Mint, bowing at her. "May I have this dance, my princess?"

She bowed with her dress. "It would be a pleasure, my prince, he he."

I put my left hand around her upper back and held her left hand with my right hand and she had her right hand on my arm. The height difference made it a challenge to be in a dance hold, but we smiled together and danced away to the music. I was starting to believe that Mint could be the one for me, but was I really sure of my feelings and did she feel the same away with me, I hoped to find out soon...

* * *

It was the night before we would face the final battle against Eonia and his fleet, we were prepared but I wanted to get my feelings clear before then so I would be focused on the battle ahead. I walked over to Mint's room and hoped she would still be up.

"Mint." I called. "Are you awake?"

"Yes, Arnold." She replied. "Come on in."

I walked into her room and she looked happy to see me. "Welcome, shall we have some tea?"

"No it's okay, I don't mean to come here at this time of the night."

"It's alright, I was in need of a change of pace."

"How so?"

"I've been trying to write a letter to my father, but it's not going well...I've already rewritten it many times."

"I think sometimes it's easier to say what you feel face to face than on a letter."

She nodded. "Yes, I think so too...however, it's not that I can't write well, but...I just can't seem to put my feelings in order."

"I see...are you worried about tomorrow?"

"No, for some reason, I'm not worried at all. Since I'm with you like when you were there for me at the ball, I'm sure everything will be okay."

I wasn't convinced by what she said, I knew that if someone like Milfie or Vanilla were worried, they would tell me straight away. There was also something that Mint was wanting to tell me and it might be to do with her feelings for me. So considering my words carefully and because I wanted to be with Mint after this war was over, I cleared my throat and made my final choice.

"Mint...don't push yourself. When you're uneasy, it's best to frankly say that."

Mint was surprised. "Huh?"

"I can understand on what we'll be facing tomorrow. But even without telepathy, your feelings reached me."

She blushed. "Arnold...honestly, how did you work that out...no matter how I hide my heart, you can see right through me."

"Well now that you mention it, I've gotta confess...I have liked you more than the other angels for a long time. When we had our first date at Fargo, I had the best time with you and when we danced at the ball, it was the best night I ever had. Ever since then, I decided that I want to share my feelings for you."

She blushed a little more. "Um...Arnold...is it okay if I sit with you?"

I nodded, smiling. "Yes, come on over here."

I sat down on a chair and she walked over and sat on my lap.

 _Background music: Galaxy Angel - A Peaceful Time_

"I can't help thinking about tomorrow...when we take off, what if we don't come back?"

I put my arm around her. "It'll be okay. I'll protect you."

"Yes...and I'll fight for your sake, so we can be together." she held my arm with her hands. "Arnold...this is brave of me to say, but I've liked you for a long time too...and now that I know you feel for me and that you'll take care of me, I can be happy with you."

"Mint...I'm so glad to hear that...as long as you're with me, I'll always protect you."

"And I will do the same for you, Arnold...let's sit like this for a little longer."

"For you...as long as you want."

We closed our eyes and sat close together, relieved that I got my feelings out, now Mint and I just had to rest up and face the final battle!

* * *

 **Up next, Tact and Forte's relationship...blossoms like a flower? Whilst Arnold and Mint go on a shopping spree for the perfect lipstick...among other things.**


	8. A Telepathy's Love (Forte Route)

**Now for the Moonlit Lovers part and there'll be a combo with this one, so expect a few twists.**

* * *

A Telepathy's Love (Forte Route)

Six months had passed since Eonia and the Black Moon were defeated a few things had changed. Tact was assigned to the Frontier to search for Lost Technology and Forte went with him as not only his girlfriend, but also his sub-commander. Meaning Lester was assigned to another team and that I was assigned as interim leader of the angel wing group. Speaking of the angels, they were still like the sister I never had...except for one.

Mint Blancmanche and I became more than friends six months ago and even though we didn't say much about our relationship, we just knew that we were happy together. But there were one or two things that we hadn't done yet in order to make the relationship stronger and official. Which was why today before the newcomer arrived to join the angel wing, Mint and I were in one of the accommodation rooms on the White Moon.

"Good morning, Arnold." Mint said as I woke up.

"Morning, Mint." I replied, trying to yawn. "Guess you caught me napping again."

"Actually, you were sleeping very soundly when I walked in. You have drool on your face..."

"I do..." I wiped my mouth. "...I'm not being a gentleman about this, am I?"

Mint laughed. "See, this is why I'm so happy to be with you. I can just drop my elegant appearance and enjoy the youth we have."

I smiled. "And I'm always grateful to hear that...speaking of us, it's been six months since we got together. Time sure flies by when there's much to do."

"Yes...not much has changed, but sometimes it's good to have some things be the same, like you and me and the angel wing."

I got out of bed, I was in my uniform because I was tired from work the night before and I didn't get around to change.

"So what brings you to me in the morning?"

"Oh right...just before we meet our newest member, I want you to have a look at this." She showed a magazine.

"Is this...a shopping catalogue?"

"Yes, I was going through these items...and then I thought of you."

"Me?"

"Yeah...I'm looking to buy new curtains and cushions for my room if we meet up with the Elsior again."

"Elsior...haven't seen that ship for months..."

"I wanted your opinion on this page." she showed me one with an image of pink coloured items.

Hmm, pink and blue, I can see that matching well together.

Mint looked at me. "You really think so?"

"Of course I do...ahhh, I can't hide anything from you." I replied, giggling.

"He he he, well you are dating a telepathic so you should be used to it."

"You're right, but back on topic. If you want me to help out with these, I can make a worthy donation of funds."

Her bunny ears perked up. "Oh, well that's very generous of you, but you don't need to do that for me. I'll buy these curtains and cushions when we get the chance and you'll help me with the moving, right?"

I nodded. "Absolutely, I'll help carry them for you."

She smiled. "Thank you, Arnold! Then I'll also buy a new end table, a new sofa cover and..."

"Mint..."

"Well if you're volunteering, I'm sure you can handle it."

"You're right...wait, did I detect a bit of affection in those words?"

Mint blushed. "Affection...maybe..."

"And speaking of affection, we're together but did you know that we haven't said those three words yet?"

"Well, there are some things that don't need to be said. Because you can tell, even if I don't say anything, can't you?"

"Of course I do, but I think it would make our relationship stronger if we said them here, where no one else is around."

She smiled. "If this was six months ago, I would've hesitated. But for being able to offer your carrying services to me...alright, you say it first."

I took her hand. "Okay...Mint, I love you."

She blushed happily. "Arnold, I love you too."

I was now blushing. "I don't think I'll stop smiling for the rest of the day."

"Well unless something serious happens...now allow me to show my appreciation for your love to me." She moved forward and kissed me on the cheek. "I hope you understand that, cause if you don't, you still have a long way to go."

"I understand completely...and I'll prove it by responding to your affection." I kissed her back on the cheek.

We then wrapped each other in a warm and gentle hug with smiles, when an announcement was made on the speakers.

Angel Wing, please report to the Throne Room, Lady Shatyarn requests your presence.

"That sounded urgent." I said.

"Yeah it did...then let's go." Mint replied.

We rushed out of my room and into the throne room where we were briefed on our objectives. Milfie, Ranpha and Vanilla were to assist with the allied fleets engaged with the automated ships towards the Lena system. Whilst myself, Mint and Chitose the newcomer were to escort Lester and rendezvous with the Elsior that was returning from it's frontier search.

* * *

We arrived in time to bring Lester who was in a cruiser to dock inside the Elsior whilst the rest of us and Forte dealt with the automated ships that tried to ambush the Elsior.

"Ahhh." I sighed peacefully. "There's nothing better to get your juices flowing than space combat."

"Juices flowing?" Chitose asked. "That's one way to comment on a battle."

"Anyways, let's go inside, I've missed this ship." Mint said.

We boarded our frames inside, I had missed this place for months.

"Okay then, is everybody back?" A familiar voice asked.

"Hey Tact, long time no see." I replied. "I did pretty well out there."

"Yeah, you've still got it."

"Tact, it has been a long time." Mint said. "I was able to perform quite well."

"Yep, you did really good."

"Well done Tact, that was nothing." Forte praised. "And Arnold and Mint, good to see you both."

"Great to see half of the group together again, but where is the new girl?"

Chitose walked up and introduced herself to Tact. We walked up to the bridge where after Tact was given a briefing on the next objective, Lester announced that he would be returning as sub-commander of the Elsior under Admiral Luft's orders. Meaning Forte was now back to being the ring leader of the angel wing with me once again second in command.

Mint and I were in her room, sharing tea and candy together.

Mint sighed happily. "There really is no place like home, I've missed this room."

"Couldn't agree more." I replied. "Oh now that we're back on the Elsior and in your room, would now be a good time to think about ordering the stuff you wanted?"

"That would be a good idea and Tact did say that we'd be heading to Crinea to stop for resupplying, so I'll remember to get you later."

"Later?"

"Yes...I'm pretty sure you want to catch up with everyone else you haven't seen."

"Yeah I do...alright, I'll be with you later."

"Make sure you do, Arnold." she teased before giggling.

I gave her a quick hug and I left her room. Now that I think about it, I should get her a somewhat expensive gift. Maybe some lipstick and in a colour that she would really like.

Later, the Elsior docked at Crinea station and Mint and I walked off the Elsior to find the furniture store she was looking for.

"There it is, I'm so glad you're with me to help." Mint said as we held hands.

"Same here...oh I think we've found it and it's part of a big super mall." I replied, pointing to the big building.

We walked inside and the place was huge, good thing I made sure that Mint wouldn't get lost... "Huh...where did she go?"

"Arnold! Help me!" She exclaimed, I looked to see she was caught among a wave of kids running past.

I run over and I grabbed Mint's hand to bring her away from the children and I held her in my arms before gently lowering her down.

"That was a close one." I sighed.

"Yes...I didn't mean for that to happen." Mint replied. "Anyways, there's the furniture store, I better hold on to your arm this time."

"Yeah, let's not go through that again."

We entered inside and Mint walked over to the store clerk whilst I decided to put my own plan into motion. I spotted an accessories section in the corner which had a collection of lipsticks. There was a sale on the pink colours, I found one that was in floral pink and thought that this is the one I'll buy for Mint. So I made a quick purchase whilst she wasn't looking and I walked back to Mint who was done with the ordering.

"Carry these curtains and cushions for me, Arnold." she said. "And I'll hold on to you, extra tight just to be sure."

I giggled to myself, I hope I'd able to carry all this.

When we brought them into her room, a siren went off across the Elsior.

"Civilian ship detected outside Crinea station, 20,000 feet away!" Almo said. "SOS message received, in need of assistance."

"An SOS that far from here?" I asked. "That doesn't sound right."

"It seems suspicious." Mint replied. "But we have to go."

I nodded, we put down the items whilst I remembered that I kept the lipstick I bought in my zipped uniform pocket, I would give it to her after this.

Turns out that there was an enemy fleet of automated ships in pursuit of the civilian ship, but we dealt with them quickly. Chitose was about to go and escort the civilian ship until she was ordered to fly away before the civilian ship shut down and exploded, revealing an undamaged boxed container. It was brought into the hanger where Creta and her team investigated it.

I was with Mint in her room and now that things had settled down, it was time to give her the gift.

"Mint, while we were in Crinea...I made a secret purchase and it's a gift for you." I said.

"Oh...well that was very sneaky of you, but what is it?" Mint asked.

I brought the lipstick out of my uniform pocket and handed it to her. "I saw this coloured lipstick and I thought of you."

"This is...floral pink lipstick?" She seemed surprised. "It's expensive...but it really fits what I wanted."

"Money isn't really important to me, my love for you is."

She started to blush. "Say, Arnold...would you mind putting it on for me?"

"Well I haven't done anything like that before."

"Oh I think you can do it, if you believe in yourself."

"Well I may not be perfect, but I'll do my best..." I put some lipstick around her lips as gently as I could.

Mint checked to look at her lips in the mirror. "It looks beautiful on me...you didn't put on too much either."

"I'm really glad you like it, I know what you said earlier, but I still wanted to be generous."

She looked at me happily. "Thank you very much for this gift, Arnold. I'll definitely look after it." She then kissed me on the cheek, leaving a lipstick mark on there. "Now everyone will know how much you mean to me."

I giggled. "You're very much welcome, Mint. Because you mean a lot to me too." I kissed her back on the cheek.

* * *

Sometime later, I was with Mint and we were resting on the chair when suddenly, sirens went across the ship and I heard a beep on my uniform transmitter.

"Arnold, can you hear me?!" Tact called. "Is Mint with you?"

"Loud and clear." I replied. "And Mint is with me."

"Good...we have a ship crises! Probes appeared from the damaged container we retrieved earlier. Forte and Chitose are dealing with them right now, but we could use your help. Make sure Mint is safe."

"Got it Tact, I'm on my way." I looked at Mint. "Looks like the work of the enemy if there's more than one probe around. Mint, you better stay here and keep yourself hidden."

She nodded with a serious expression. "Understood Arnold, I'll lock the door to this room after you leave."

I rushed out of her room and after she locked it, I ran across the ship and discovered a probe in the warehouse that hadn't put on a disguise. Luckily, I had my desert eagle pistol that Forte gave to me when I joined the angel wing. I aimed at the probe that just turned around to spot me, but it was too late.

*Bang* *Bang*

The probe collapsed and shut down in a puff of smoke, that's one probe down.

I made a quick call. "Tact, I got one in the warehouse, whereabouts are you?"

"Arnold, there's two probes left and I saw Chitose follow one into the engine room" Tact replied. "If the probes take over the engine room, it's over for all of us!"

"Crap...I'll be there quickly." I dashed out of the warehouse and into the engine room where it was a little dark.

I hid behind a corner as I noticed Forte moving backwards. On the other side was Chitose who was watching along with Tact. Chitose jumped out from hiding with a gun she borrowed and Forte turned around with her gun at the ready.

"NO DON'T SHOOT!" Tact yelled.

*Bang*

*Bang*

Just when I thought a tragedy happened, I opened my eyes to see them both still standing but two probes were on the floor in a heap.

"Woah! Don't scare us like that, girls." I sighed.

"Sorry about that, Arnold." Forte replied. "By the way, where's Mint?"

"She locked up her room as soon as I left so that no one, not even a probe could get in."

"That's good news." Chitose replied.

"Well...that at least takes care of the probes issue." Tact said. "But Chitose, how did you know there was a probe behind Forte?"

"When Forte turned around as I was aiming at the probe behind her, I knew there was one more left and it was behind me."

"I see." I replied.

"Forte, I think I finally understand what you mean by what you've said and taught me about."

"That's good, Chitose." Forte replied. "And Arnold, nice to see that desert eagle getting some action. I thought you were gonna leave it to rot."

I giggled. "Well I do my best to keep it clean when I have time, but it felt kind of good being an action man."

We left the engine room and the crew workers took care of the destroyed probes, I walked back to Mint's room and she was happy to see me safe.

* * *

What followed were two battles against Rezom who was a minor foe back when we were dealing with Eonia, the first battle Forte cleaned house and in the second one, the rest of the angels joined us and we won easily. Now all seven of us angels were together as we moved forward to Lena where the source of the automated ships was.

I was in my guest room when someone called for me. "Yes?"

"Arnold, I'd like us to meet in the hanger at 22:00, there's something really special I want us to do." Mint said. "Make sure you remember, okay?"

"I will Mint, I'll be sure to be there."

When it was the evening time, I walked over to the hanger and Mint was present, but there were also a pair of space outfits.

"Evening Mint, what's all this?" I asked.

"Arnold, glad to see you're here." She replied. "Mind if you put this on, we'll need it for this activity."

"Activity?"

"Yes...it's all prepared. Here we are."

"This is an airlock...huh, I'm wearing a spacesuit."

"Yes...we're going on a space walk. Don't worry, it's completely safe."

We put on our space suits that had built in oxygen systems, walked through the airlock until we were now out in the open space. She was dressed as a space bunny and mine was like a robot or something.

"Arnold, please come this way." Mint said as I held her hand. "The view of space is very beautiful...almost like a rose blooming."

"Now I can see what this is about." I replied smiling. "Watching the beautiful stars...swimming through the galaxy with just you and me."

"Ahhh, how graceful and wonderful it is."

"Well, just as long as I don't let go. I already like this space walk, but I wouldn't want to be lost in space without you."

Mint held my other hand. "That won't happen...because I'll never let you go whilst we're doing this."

"That's good...woah! My body is somewhat not used to this low gravity."

"It's okay, you'll get used to it...you're doing this for your girlfriend after all."

I was able to get the hang of it, eventually. "Yes I am, I'm taking part in something new and I like it, because I'm your boyfriend."

"Say, Arnold?"

"Yeah?"

"It'd be nice...if it could always be like this."

"I agree...a beautiful view, happy feelings. It all becomes even more wonderful when I'm with you."

"Yes...happiness is doubled and sadness is halved as people sometimes say."

I wrapped my arms around her in our space suits.

"It's getting a little late, shall we head back?"

Mint gasped. "Oh...I almost forgot, we agreed to meet in Chitose's room."

"You mean all of us? Then we should go back."

"Yes...sorry to cut this short, but maybe next time we'll do a space walk again."

I nodded. "I'd like that..."

We flew back into the airlock and inside the hanger. We took off our space suits and Mint stored them away. We walked out of the hanger and up to Chitose's room where the other angels and Tact were.

"Ah, you're here!" Milfie said. "We've been waiting for a minute."

"Well, what were you two up to?" Ranpha asked

"Mint, you're wearing lipstick." Vanilla said.

"Good point, is that Floral Pink?" Tact asked. "That's expensive...where did you get that?"

Mint blushed, holding my hand. "I got it from Arnold."

"Oh my! That's such a generous gift." Chitose replied.

"Now that you mention it, I can see a trace of a lipstick mark on Arnold's cheek." Forte said. "You're a real man for letting that happen."

"Ahhh so romantic." Milfie sighed. "Anyways, what did you bring us here for, Chitose?"

"I wanted to show you these, they're called sparklers."

She showed how to use them and of course we had be smart and safe with them.

* * *

It was the night before the upcoming battle against Nefuria and the Val-Fasc, I was in Mint's room and holding hands, looking into each others eyes.

A tiny beep went off near a space computer on the table. "What was that?" I asked.

"It must be a letter from my father." Mint replied as she looked over it.

"Your father?"

"Yes...I decided to be brave and mention about you in the letter, I hope you don't mind."

I nodded. "Not at all."

"Okay...well since it's just you and me, I'll play it."

Mint Blancmanche, this is your father. I received your letter with great interest, I am relieved and wonderfully overjoyed to hear that you're safe and that you are doing well. Whilst I may not fully understand your choices, I will none the less respect them, for you are my only daughter. I have heard of your relationship with the boy and from what you have told me, he may be the ideal choice for you. I do hope he continues to take some of the responsibility to care for you and to love you as much as I do. Your old caretaker says hello and is he also pleased to hear from you. Please remember to stand by the family corporation's business when there is ever lasting peace across the galaxy for you have all the credentials to lead in our family's name. Take care, my daughter.

I was quite taken back, he didn't say much about me but it was positive.

"So, that was my father." Mint said. "Don't you see how much he worries about me"?

"Yeah, he really cares for you, no matter how far away." I replied.

"He also seemed to like you and that was what made me happy...he never says things like that, you know."

"Then I guess I made a very good impression to him."

"Well you did ask me out months ago and that was brave enough...but about the letter, I didn't mention about the lipstick you gave me. Because I was a little scared..."

I blinked. "A little scared, why?"

"Well how to put it...I like to be treated as a special girl and my father would often tell me that when I was growing up. But it's always been jewellery, elegant clothing and rich tea. It never used to be costumes, candies, fast food or lipsticks like I get now."

"I think I get what you mean...so I guess that when you were growing up and started to think more for yourself, you didn't want to keep having the same thing?"

"Yes...it was when I discovered about my hidden talent to fly as a pilot where I started enjoying the new things I never had before. But through it all...there's still one part of me that hasn't changed."

"What part is it?"

"I'm very selfish..."

"Selfish?"

"Yes...I love all the gifts you give to me and how much your treat me, but I always want to be spoiled too."

"I guess the point you're making is that you don't want your father to know that you like to be a selfish child who gets spoiled?"

Mint nodded sadly.

"Well Mint, you don't have to tell me twice...be selfish for as long as you like and I'll spoil you as much as you like, because I love you."

"Arnold..." Mint blushed before she sat on my lap. "...thank you...I'll always accept whatever you offer me as well, because I love you too."

"And tomorrow, we'll work really hard to win, so we can have more time for me to treat you for as long as you want."

She blushed. "Well actually...I have a treat for you before tomorrow and I wanna show it to you now."

"A treat for me?"

"Yes...just sit here and I'll be out of my costume area in a few moments."

She walked to the costume corner and closed the curtain behind her. I sat back in the chair and waited...until she pulled the curtain back and came out.

My jaw nearly dropped...there was Mint who had changed into a nurse's outfit with a nurse cap on her head and she was holding an oversized prop, it looked like a syringe.

"Mint!" I gasped. "Where did you get those?"

"He he he...it's a secret." She winked. "Now if you're gonna treat me more, then allow me to treat you in return."

She put the syringe down, walked over with a smirk look and planted a lock-on kiss on my lips.

"Well...that's one way to perform CPR!"

Mint and I shared our laughter before we wrapped in each others arms and shared a passionate kiss.

We didn't go any further than that as there were more important matters to focus on, but it was a wonderful treat that I would not soon forget.

* * *

 **Up next, the final part of the Tact & Forte route. Whilst Arnold & Mint discover an unexpected twist!**


	9. Blancmanche To The End (Forte Route)

**Now for the Eternal Lovers part where Tact helps Forte overcome her...weapon issue? Whilst in a creative twist compared to the other ones, Arnold and Mint are forced to take an emergency detour en route to Eden.**

* * *

Blancmanche To The End (Forte Route)

30 Days later...

Mint and I were back on the Elsior after we enjoyed our 30-day paid vacation with not just the two of us for a few days, but also with the rest of the angel wing. Things hadn't changed, Tact and Forte were still in love even though they don't tend to show it which was almost like how Mint and I tend to keep our relationship, which was down to a minimum and only let it out when it's just the two of us.

I was in Mint's room and sleeping on her bed, because I started having a headache which happened after we rescued Lushati and Wein who had travelled from Eden which is still alive and is under the rule of the Val-Fasc. This led to the word 'family' which was on my mind, did I really have a family? I then went to sleep and started dreaming, it was quite a peaceful dream that had my parents and inside a well built home. Then it turned into a nightmare as I saw massive ships attack around the house and I heard my mother scream and a faint yet evil laugh.

"AHHH!" I yelled as I sat up, panting and catching my breath.

"Arnold!" Mint exclaimed as she rushed in. "Are you alright?"

"Mint..."

"What happened...did you have a nightmare?"

I felt emotional as I immediately went to wrap my arms around her in a comforting hug.

"Ah! You're holding me a little tight...but I guess this is your wild side."

"Mint...sniff...it was horrible...a horrible nightmare..."

"Arnold..." She put her arms around my neck. "It's alright...I'm here for you, my pampered little boy."

"Thank you..."

"Although it is surprising to see you scared of a nightmare compared to everything we've had to face."

I started cheering up. "You know me so well."

"That's because we've known each other long enough to tell when the other needs help."

I moved my head from her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "Speaking of that, it's been seven months since we got together and I feel that we're getting stronger every time we win a battle."

"They say seven is a lucky number but I think Ranpha and Milfie would like to believe it more than I do."

"But still, numbers don't mean a lot when it's the strength of our love that counts."

"If you can clarify that...would you like to tell me what the dream was about?"

"I will...but only if I get to do this." I moved my head forward and kissed her on the lips, causing her to giggle.

I giggled as well before I relaxed and explain what my dream was about to her.

"Oh my..." she sighed. "...but you say that it could be a warning?"

I nodded. "Yeah and I think I need to see Lady Shatyarn about it, she may have said a few things but I must know more, like if Eden really is my home world."

"That may have to wait a while...but I do hope you get the chance to soon."

"I hope so too..."

"Oh, I almost forgot, I wanna share a snack with you...please close your eyes."

"Okay..." I closed mine and smiled.

"Now open your mouth and we'll get this started."

"Ahhh..."

I felt something crispy going into my mouth and I ate it, bit by bit until my mouth was stopped with a pair of lips before they locked in with my lips.

"Yes!" Mint exclaimed. "My candy kiss worked."

I opened my eyes. "Ahhh...I see what you did there now, that was very creative."

"Thank you...I've been wanting to do a kiss like that for some time."

I blushed. "Ah, then forgive me for not thinking ahead on that one."

"He he he, it's perfectly alright...by the way, I came in here when I heard you yell because I was with the another angels. Milfie's putting on a picnic day in the park to welcome Lushati and Wein on board, would you care to join?"

I nodded. "Of course, cause that way I get to spend the day close to you."

"I knew you would say that, even without my telepathy."

"Hehe...but can we stay like this for a bit longer?"

"For you, I will."

Mint and I got back into a long hug before we left the room and walked to the park and joined in the picnic.

* * *

With the White Moon travelling with us, war with the Val-Fasc had officially begun once again. The first wave arrived led by the enemy commander, Admiral Rowil and after we beat his fleet and then forced his flagship to retreat, he left with a message that shook me to my very core in what happened to my parents.

Poor Mint, she must've felt useless during the next two days that passed until I finally got my chance to the greatest payback by defeating Rowil with my angel-wing powered frame thanks to Lady Shatyarn. My thirst for revenge was quenched, but I still wanted to go to Eden to learn about what my father used to do and what he was working on.

But we suffered a huge disaster along the way. Forte's frame went out of control and Tact had no choice but shut the frame down by attacking it. With Forte out of action and treated well on the White Moon, the ring-leader responsibility fell on to me since I was second in command of the group. Tact appointed me as interim leader until Forte recovers and I was willing to do what I could, it still didn't feel the same, but that's the way things were at the time.

"Sometimes, I wonder." I said to the girls as we were in the lounge. "Why does fate have to deal out one cruel twist after another?"

"Who knows..." Ranpha replied. "...fortune telling is how deep I can go."

"Our morale has dropped significantly." Vanilla said.

"But it's a very good thing that you're back to normal, Arnold." Chitose added. "If it had happened much earlier..."

"We would've been far much weaker." Mint finished as she held my hand tight. "But still, Forte has always been the big sister of the group."

"She would often have our backs and keep us in line." Milfie said. "But she would always be impressed with your battle tactics."

I nodded. "Well I'm gonna do what I can to be almost as good as Forte, but she's a strong woman and I'm sure she'll be back sooner than we think."

The others agreed...suddenly, the ship shook almost knocking us out of our chairs. It happened again and Mint nearly fell on top of me, causing us to blush.

"What was that?!" Ranpha exclaimed.

"We better go to the bridge, girls. I have a feeling we're about to face a new problem."

A new problem was right, it was reported that Unit #7 was stolen, I immediately suspected Wein as the culprit and with Lushati hypnotised as well as the Chrono Break Cannon, I knew the next battle was going to be ugly. We eventually caught up with Unit #7, but our first attempt didn't solve the problem for it fired back and we were forced to retreat with our frames wrecked.

On the White Moon, we heard that Forte had woken up and we rushed to where she was resting with me leading the way.

"Forte, we're here." I said.

She was standing up and looking at us. "Arnold...I heard you took over while I was resting, looks like you did a great job."

"Well it was surprising to be a leader, but I think the Angel Wing will always be at its best when you're the one leading."

"Yep, yep, that's right." Ranpha agreed. "Are you really okay?"

"Yeah, everything checks out, no worries." Forte replied.

"I see...that is a relief to hear." Mint said who was holing my hand.

"I am truly thankful." Chitose added. "If you hadn't woken up, I would've been beside myself with worry."

"It's alright angels." Forte assured. "I'm perfectly fine."

"Then how about we have some drinks to celebrate your recovery?" Milfie asked.

"I would agree." Vanilla said.

"Sounds good." Forte added and just as soon as she picked up her gun, she shivered and yelled, dropping it completely.

Tact rushed in to see Forte who had just dropped her gun. "Forte?! What happened?"

"I...don't know...I just picked the gun up and then I...I tried to pick it up, but then I remembered when my Happy Trigger was out of control and it fired on the Elsior."

"Oh great..." I muttered. "...looks like we're faced with a new problem."

Just then, Noah appeared. "Everyone, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Arnold, Lady Shatyarn needs to speak to you."

"To me?"

"Mint...I'm afraid this concerns you too."

"Me too?" Mint asked. "What's going on?"

"You'll find out if you both come with me." Noah replied. "Tact, we'll speak about what happened to Forte shortly."

Tact nodded. "Alright...the rest of you girls, escort Forte back to the Elsior, I'll be back there soon." he sighed sadly.

I walked with Mint and Noah to the throne room where Lady Shatyarn was present.

"Arnold and Mint, forgive me from pulling you away from the reunion." Shatyarn said. "But this is a very urgent matter that concerns you both."

"Urgent?" I asked.

"Yes...do not be alarmed, but we received a transmission from Unit #7."

"A transmission?" Mint asked. "But how?"

"The only thing we know is what was said in the transmission." Noah paused for a moment. "...you'll have to hear it for yourselves..."

We nodded and Noah played the transmission, it was Wein's voice alright.

 _Dear Angel Wing and Tact Mayers, how does it feel to know that the Val-Fasc has achieved one victory over you? I bet your souls are crumbling away just like your hearts...the useless tools that can never be strengthened. However on my way to Eden, I found a small space station that is on the outskirts of the Rhome system which is not far where you are right now. Mint Blancmanche, I know about your family's corporation business and I chose to let's say 'take an interest' in that place before resuming my journey to Eden. And as for you, Arnold, I am aware of your relationship with her, so I know that you would go with her which is as moronic as you can be. So Mint, if your father means more to you than the Angel Wing, I dare you and Arnold to go there. Good luck whatever you find after what I've done to the city...ha ha ha ha!_

We stood in silent and in shock.

"It appears that the headquarters of the Blancmanche Corporation was under attack by Wein's Val-Fasc fleet." Shatyarn said.

Mint gasped. "What...no! Father?!"

"We don't know any further details, it would be best if you two go over there and report back on what has happened." Noah said.

"But why?" I asked. "For all we know, this could be a trap!"

"I am fully aware of that scenario, Arnold. But we don't have much of a choice, I can't risk Wein pulling off any more tricks along our way to Eden."

"I would have to agree, what we have been through is more than enough." Shatyarn added.

Mint grabbed on to me. "Arnold...we have to go there, it's where my father lives! We've got to do this!"

"I want to as well, Mint." I replied. "But how can we prepare ourselves for whatever is over there with just two frames?"

"That won't be a problem." Shatyarn replied. "I do not wish to take any chances. Both of your Emblem Frames will have the limiters removed, so you can be four times stronger. Take great care with the frames and make sure you rendezvous with the others towards Eden safely."

I smiled and turned to Mint, holding her hands. "In that case, I'm definitely going with you, Mint. I want to help save your family's business...it would be a great honour to help out your father and I'm sure that he'll be safe."

Mint looked at me with a tear in her eye. "Arnold...yes, I believe in you...we'll get through this side-quest together."

"Don't worry you two." Shatyarn said. "We'll let Tact and the others know. It would be best if you two would get ready to depart, your frames should be 100% ready to go."

"Then we have no time to lose, let's go." I replied.

Mint and I rushed to our frames, we got in and we flew out of the Elsior en route to the small space station outside Rhome.

Our wings were out on show around the frames, we then spotted a mansion and a tall building a couple of blocks away, this must be the space station where the headquarters of the Blancmanche Corporation is. However, upon closer inspection and landing on a free docking area, the sight of the city left us in shock.

We walked to find that most of the city was in ruins, there was a lot of fires in buildings so the attacks were recent.

"What the hell?!" I exclaimed, holding Mint's hand. "What has Wein done to this city?!"

"How could he do this?" Mint asked who gripped onto me tightly. "The mansion, that's my old home!"

"Let's go, quickly." We rushed over to the mansion which was damaged yet there were no fires.

We barged into the mansion and the place was indeed vandalised, judging by the mess made on the walls and ceilings.

"Heeeeeelllllpppp!" A voice yelled in the distance.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"It could be my father!" Mint replied. "Follow me."

We rushed down the hallway and into the study room to find an elderly caretaker with bunny ears on the floor. "Ugggghhhh...who's there?"

Mint gasped. "It's my old care taker."

"That voice...Mint! Is that you?" The caretaker asked looking at her.

"Yes...are you alright?!"

He coughed. "Thank goodness you're safe...and who is that wonderful looking man with you?"

"This is Arnold, my boyfriend...but what about my father? Where's my father?!"

"I last saw him...in the office, I don't know where he is...now...cough!"

"We'll get you to a hospital as soon as we can." I said. "Just hang in there."

"Very well...it's been a few seconds, but somehow I can tell that you are a good man...please take care of Mint...always."

"I will...for the sake of our future, I'll care and love Mint as much as I can."

"Thank...you..."

We left the study room and rushed upstairs and into the office where there was a tall man who was laying down by a desk, he seemed to be bleeding by the arm.

Mint was shocked. "FATHER!" She rushed over.

"Ugh...Mint!" He replied, shocked at seeing her. "My daughter...oww...you came back?"

"Father?! What happened!" Mint was beginning to feel emotional.

"Wein came around and offered to...come to a business agreement on establishing...a Val-Fasc-ow! Forward base on this space station...in exchange for Val-Fasc technology to be used on our terms in this city...but I refused...owww...and I paid the price!"

"That's horrible! Wein then chose to attack?"

"Yes..." he paused to see me. "Ahhh...ow, you must be the boy I heard about from my daughter's emails."

"Yeah, I am Arnold Williams, mister Blancmanche."

"You have great manners I see...then I am very glad...ow! My daughter chose very well..."

Mint sniffed. "Father, we have to get you to a hospital!"

"An ambulance is already on the way...do not worry about me...Mint and Arnold...I'm afraid Wein may be smarter than I thought. Because after he left, he kept a few of his ships behind to guard over the city."

Suddenly, small explosions occurred on a big building outside.

"Arnold...I have one request for you...take care of my daughter!" He said.

I took Mint's hand. "Mister Blancmanche, I will consider it as an honour to accept your request."

He nodded and smiled, despite being in pain. "Mint, I will make sure to send you a letter when I'm back to normal."

"Father...please promise me you will." Mint replied.

"I do...please believe in your father."

Mint sniffed and she hugged her father, I was close to being emotional...I never got the chance to do that with my father.

I took a brave step and I shook his free hand, Mint and I left the room as the ambulance arrived. We left the mansion and ran back to our frames. No sooner had we got in, a siren went off in my frame.

"We've got company!" I exclaimed.

"A Val-Fasc fleet?" Mint asked.

I brought up a map of the area on the screen. "Yeah, your father was right...we're here on the south west part of the city, there are four fighters, four destroyers, two cruisers and a carriership...and they're coming from all directions!"

 _Background Music:_ _Galaxy Angel - Time To Fight_

Mint appeared on my screen. "It's going to be difficult with just the two of us...but we do have the wings, something that Wein may have overlooked."

"I can agree...our goal here is to wipe the enemy fleet out so that the space station can be at least safe."

Mint looked determined. "Then let's win this battle...for my father and for the two of us!"

 _Background Music:_ _Galaxy Angel - The Enemy's Great Fleet_

The battle started and the fighters were the closest to us whilst the destroyers, cruisers and the carriership were on the other side of the space station. Both of our frames however were at our peak thanks to the wings, so we had one shot to get out of this alive. I mowed down the first fighter and Mint took one down. We both took out a second each and both of our spirits peaked.

"Mint, use your special on the two destroyers coming from your right!" I said. "I'll deal with the destroyers on the left."

I moved my frame with my drill at the ready and one destroyer in my sight.

"FLIER DANCE!" Mint yelled as she eliminated two destroyers.

"SPIKE DRIVER!" My drill tore through a destroyer and I used my mini-guns to swat down the last one.

"Arnold, let's take down the cruisers together." Mint said.

"I'm with you." I replied.

I moved my frame to join with hers and the first cruiser was taken down with our combined attacks. The second one was then destroyed by us with our spirit levels peaking again as one last enemy ship was remaining.

"Mint...shall we combine our specials together on the carriership?"

"Do you need to ask...we'll do it together, because I love you."

I smiled. "I love you too...here we go."

"FLIER DANCE!"

"SPIKE DRIVER!"

The fliers and my drill did enough damage and the carriership was gone, no red dots left on the map.

 _Background Music:_ _Galaxy Angel - Main Imperial Fleet_

"Enemy fleet destroyed!" I exclaimed. "We did it, Mint!"

"Yes! You and me, Arnold...we won this battle together."

"Okay, it seems we didn't take any damage but I think it's time for us to go and meet up with the angel wing at Eden."

"Agreed...we can't let Wein get away with what he's done here."

 _End Of Background Music_

We flew our frames away from the space station and carried on with the direction the Elsior was heading in thanks to a link-up with my frame.

It lasted a while but eventually, we were approaching a clear planet, that must be the home planet of Eden...my home world. The Val-Fasc would no doubt be here, but that also means the Elsior and the other angels are there too. I made a transmission call with Mint on the line.

"Elsior and the Angel Wing!" I spoke to them. "Nice to see you got here before we did."

"Arnold!" Tact replied on my screen. "We're all happy to see you and Mint here!"

"Yes, we're back safe and sound." Mint said. "Let's free the people of Eden."

With our frames, we were able to eliminate the fleet stationed around Juno, the capital planet of Eden and Wein chose to retreat. We were met with smiles and Forte was incredibly proud of me and Mint when they heard that we took out an enemy fleet along the way.

* * *

We were invited to attend the ceremony at the Sky Palace, but first, I had to partake in a quest my father once went through and after competing that in two days, I went back to the Sky Palace in time for the event. I spotted Mint in her dress and she looked like a beautiful princess and she was happy to see me.

"Arnold!" She exclaimed. "Not sure if you heard yet, but I received a letter from the hospital, my father will be okay and so will be my old caretaker."

"That's great news." I replied as we got into a dance hold since the slow music was starting to play. "Your father was very welcoming to me, all considering what happened at the time."

"Yes, my father mentioned about you again...he was smiling whilst he was writing the letter, because he believed that I found someone special and that person is you...you're my one and only prince charming, shall we say."

I giggled as we continued to dance. We noticed Tact and Forte dancing as well and they seemed really happy, I wondered what happened to them while we were away.

But it wasn't peaceful for long, we had to deal with a counter-attack from the Val-Fasc but thanks to Tact's cleverness, Forte was finally able to recover and join the battle in time. Now all of us were back together once again, much stronger than before. We then said goodbye to Eden as we were travelling to the Val-Fasc's home world.

It was a long journey, but we needed the downtime we got. I was in the park with Mint and I chosen to lie down and look at the evening stars.

What I didn't know was that as I was laying my head down, I laid my head on something else.

"Ahh!" Mint said. "That tickles..."

"Huh...oh am I resting my head on your lap?" I asked. "I was wondering why I didn't feel any grass...you're very soft."

"Thanks...but don't get up, make yourself comfortable."

"I won't...still it must feel nice for a change to look down on me."

"Yes it is...I always seem to look up to everyone because of my height...besides, it allows me to do this."

She then bent her head forward in an upside down way and kissed me on the lips.

"I see...looking at the night sky...we really have come a long way."

Mint nodded. "Yes...not just the two of us, all of us have come a long way ever since we joined the Elsior."

"Yeah, our entire future rests on this battle with the Val-Fasc...and if we win, we definitely need to have a luxury vacation."

"I would love too have that...how about a cruise to a luxury holiday resort?"

"I think that will suit me to perfection because I'll be able to spend it with you."

"Oh you, Arnold...so that's our mind set for tomorrow. We'll also do this for my father and for your parents."

"Yes...I will make them proud tomorrow with the dimension gate key should it need to be used. We'll protect the galaxy...and that would make us galaxy angels."

Mint smiled as she put her hands on my shoulders. "Galaxy angels...yes, sounds wonderful."

"Then we can do it...let's protect everything we hold dear for the galaxy."

I quickly got up and we shared a passionate kiss...Mint was my special someone and after tomorrow, she would be mine to care and love...forever.

* * *

 **The Tact & Forte route is now done and the twist with Arnold and Mint was kinda refreshing to do here.**

 **Next in the spotlight, the Tact and Vanilla route begins whilst Arnold learns that there's more to Ranpha than what she is.**


	10. How To Impress Ranpha (Vanilla Route)

**Time to start the Tact and Vanilla route, but before that gets into motion, Arnold and Ranpha's route begins halfway through chapter 4.**

* * *

How To Impress Ranpha (Vanilla Route)

The supply situation was solved after our last battle and everyone began to feel much happier with what they got from the supplies. A few days had passed since I also joined the angel wing and I care for the girls equally...well that's not entirely true, there was one girl I was attracted to than the others.

Ranpha Franboise. A passionate and fiery girl who loved fortune-telling and martial arts, well that was what I learnt when I first met her. When I spoke to her for the first time, she looked at me a little funny and I thought that she would grow to dislike me. However when I joined the Elsior and become good friends with Milfie, Ranpha started to open up a bit more towards me and so did the others, although Vanilla was the quietest to speak to me at the time.

I was walking pact the lounge when I heard some singing going on. I walked in to see Milfie and Ranpha with microphones, looks like there was a karaoke going on.

"Okay everyone, that was Ranpha and Milfie!" Creta said. "Let's have a few minutes rest and then we'll have another song."

"Yay! Thank you everybody." Ranpha said happily.

"That was fun!" Milfie added. "What song shall we do next?"

"Hi you two." I greeted.

"Hi Arnold." Milfie replied. "Did you see us on stage?"

"I only saw the end part...so I heard a bit of your voices, you both sing good."

"Thanks...although I think my part was much better." Ranpha boasted.

Milfie didn't seem to agree. "Huh...but you were messing up the lyrics, you weren't even looking at the screen."

"Who cares about that? When you close your eyes, you can sing happily!" Ranpha looked at me. "Arnold, who do you think sang best?"

"I think I already said..." I replied before trying to find a way out of it. "...I know, why don't I have a go?"

Milfie gasped. "Arnold...really, you're a good singer?"

"Well I'll try to..."

"Well if you can do it, prove it." Ranpha encouraged.

"Alright then I will...hey Creta, sign me up for the next song, I'll take to the stage."

"Oooh yes." Creta replied. "I heard you sing a little bit, pick a song here and show off your voice."

I found one that suited my voice and I got myself ready to sing, thinking that if I'm going to start impressing Ranpha, I need to do it right...it was time to sing.

 _Give me your, give me your, give me your attention, baby_  
 _I gotta tell you a little something about yourself_  
 _You're wonderful, flawless, ooh, you're a sexy lady_  
 _But you walk around here like you wanna be someone else_

 _(Oh whoa-oh-oh)_  
 _I know that you don't know it, but you're fine, so fine_

 _(Oh whoa-oh-oh)_  
 _Oh girl, I'm gonna show you when you're mine, oh mine_

 _Treasure, that is what you are_  
 _Honey, you're my golden star_  
 _You know you can make my wish come true_  
 _If you let me treasure you_  
 _If you let me treasure you_  
 _(Whoa-oh-oh-h-h-h)_

After I was done, everyone was cheering for me, even Ranpha was staring in disbelief.

"Thank you ladies and gentleman, you've been a wonderful audience." I said as I got off stage and towards the girls.

"Wow!" Milfie exclaimed. "You sing amazingly! Right, Ranpha?"

"Uhh...y-yeah...I wasn't expecting that..." Ranpha added. "Say, Arnold, could you come with me to the warehouse?"

"Sure, what for?"

"Just a little help, nothing serious."

"Okay...we'll see you later, Milfie."

Milfie nodded. "Alright...Creta, mind if I go again?"

Ranpha and I left the lounge and down to the warehouse, I was curious why we were here.

"Here Arnold, help me out with this." Ranpha said.

"So what is this, are you still looking for food?" I asked randomly.

Ranpha gasped. "You're wrong, how rude!" She paused for a second. "Uh, I mean...I'm helping out on organizing with the transportation of the supplies."

"Transportation...I thought the maintenance crew would be taking care of that."

"Well, they're already busy with the other stuff, so there's things in here that need moving and I need your help with this."

"Alright then, I'll help you out here."

She smiled. "Thanks...we're going to cut the gravity soon so we can carry the big crates. Boots to work in zero gravity are over there."

"Zero gravity, isn't that dangerous and did you get permission to do this?" I put on the boots.

She sighed. "Please stop whining and put them on, I'm switching off the gravity generator."

The whole room began to feel very light and my body was starting to float around.

"Woah...I feel trippy, man! Somebody open the window and let out the great vibes...man..."

Ranpha shook her head. "You'll get used to it soon. Here, use this wire rope." She handed me one that was around a container.

"Aren't these wrapped around a container for a reason?"

"Right, so lift slowly..."

I grabbed on to a container and it was as light as me since we were in zero gravity in this room.

Suddenly a door opened. "Ah Arnold, what are you doing in here with Ranpha?" Milfie asked.

"Huh...Milfie! Wait be careful, it's zero gravity in here!" I exclaimed.

But it was too late, Milfie was already floating around. "Ahhh! My body won't stop!"

"Woah, you're going to crash into a container, watch out!"

"Dodging while in zero gravity is impossible!" Ranpha said.

*BONG*

"Owww!" Milfie moaned, sniffling. "I hurt my head..."

"Are you okay?" I asked, a little worried.

"Yes, I think so..."

"Hold on a minute, did you just hear something?" Ranpha asked.

Suddenly, something broke and came off. "The wire rope!" I exclaimed. "It's broke loose!"

"The containers all fell down!" Milfie said.

"That's impossible, the wire couldn't have snapped like that after you hit your head with it."

"Well, it's probably because of Milfie." Ranpha remarked. "In any event, it's a mystery, isn't it?"

"I'm so sorry!" Milfie exclaimed. "I'll go get someone to help!"

She was able to get out of the warehouse.

I sighed. "What a mess...I guess we have to grab all the crates in the air one by one."

"Now that they've fallen apart, we can't help it." Ranpha replied. "Look, let's just do it quickly."

I nodded as I picked one up. "So light this one..." Suddenly one from behind caught me. "Ow! That one hit me..." Then I realized I was being moves around by the impact. "Uh oh..."

"Huh?" Ranpha noticed I was being move towards her. "Hold on, don't come this way!"

"Damn! I changed directions because of that container...woah, I can't stop!"

"Please slow down!"

"Incoming!"

I close my eyes, bracing for impact. I was stopped by something, I opened up my eyes and...my lips were on Ranpha's in an upside down kiss. I was in shock, I was kissing the girl that I was attracted to the most, albeit under a weird issue. She was shocked as well before I pulled my lips away.

I already began to fear for my body's safety. "I'm so sorry that I couldn't stop, Ranpha. Please don't hurt me for that!"

I was readying for Ranpha to kick the crap out of me when the gravity in this room was put back to normal. Yet somehow...she wasn't, she didn't look angry at me...she was blushing and almost struggling to say a word.

"A-a-a-Arnold...why would I d-d-do that? It was an a-a-accident..."

Suddenly, Milfie came back. "Arnold, Ranpha. I've brought help!"

"Ah Milfie...thanks for that." I replied.

"Yes, it's okay now, we can grab all the boxes at once."

"Yeah, please do."

Milfie and some of the crew workers went around with helping out the containers.

"Arnold, one moment." Ranpha whispered to me.

"Sure...is it about earlier?" I whispered back as we put our ears close.

She was still blushing, "Yeah, fortunately, it was just the two of us here. If you speak a word of this to anybody...that was just an accident, okay? Nothing happened, understand?!"

I nodded. "Yeah, I got it, it'll be our secret. I definitely won't tell anybody."

She sighed happily. "Yeah, I knew you would say that...thank you. Although you don't have to be really quiet about it if it's just you and me around."

"You and me?"

She spoke up. "Anyways, we gotta stop floating around and help pick this stuff up."

"Woah! Not right in my ear-hole...sheesh!"

She blushed again. "S-sorry..."

* * *

I had gotten very close with the angel wing after a few battles had passed. We heard from Tact that he would be relieved as commander of the Elsior, but before that, we were all invited to the ball and I believed that this would be my chance to see if Ranpha would be interested.

As soon as we left the bridge however, it was the opposite. The five girls all offered to be my date since being the only male member of the group, it would be obvious that I would begin to develop feelings for at least one of them, so they gave me time to think about it.

I gave it some thought and made my way to the girls rooms, but I was stopped by Almo and Coco.

"There you are, Arnold." Coco said.

"We were looking for you." Almo added.

"Well, I don't see you two often outside the bridge." I replied. "What's this?"

"There was a buy one, get one free sale on all bouquets." Almo said. "So Coco and I bought two."

"We gave one to Tact so he can impress who he wants to choose for his date at the ball." Coco added. "This one is for you to give to your chosen date."

I nodded. "I see...well thank you so much for this. This may really help me."

"Good luck, Arnold." Coco said as she handed the bouquet to me.

"We believe in you." Almo added as they turned and left.

I walked to Ranpha's room and I was getting nervous, but I steeled myself up and pushed on the door button.

"Ranpha, it's Arnold. I have something to give you."

"Arnold...yeah it's fine, come in!"

I walked into her room and she was standing by the table.

"So what's up?" she asked. "Have you made your choice?"

"I have...but let me give you this first." I handed the bouquet of flowers to her. "These are for you."

Ranpha gasped and blushed. "F-for me?" She smelled them and smiled. "Oh wow...thank you so much!" She put them down on the table.

"And secondly, I have something important to say." I took her hand. "Ranpha, I choose you to be my date for the ball."

Ranpha smiled. "Really?"

"Well after giving you the flowers, was there any doubt?" I smirked.

She giggled. "Then I'm really happy to be your date."

"Yay!" I said in excitement. "Oh wait, I was meant to be calm about that."

"It's fine, you're gonna be dancing with a beautiful blonde bombshell like me." She sighed happily. "Now with that out of the way, I'll need to get clothes for the ball, we have to go shopping."

"Agreed, I'll be looking to get something trendy, can't go to a ball with how I look right now."

"Oooh, you're honest about your looks too? Well I can help you with that."

I shivered at the thought. "Well I would have to draw the line towards make-up, I'll just get my face cleaned, dress smartly and I'll be ready."

"Not bad, Arnold. I think we're gonna have a great time...we're in Fargo right now, let's go."

"I'm with you all the way."

We left her room, holding her hand as we left the Elsior and walked into the city of Fargo and towards the stores.

"Hmm, hmm, hmm." Ranpha hummed cheerfully as we went store by store for accessories. "I'll buy this...and that too."

"You're really going to town on Fargo." I replied as I was carrying a few bags. "There'll be nothing left."

"Ha ha ha! Next is the main event, the dress! Mint recommended a certain store to me."

"Speaking of which, aren't you just buying all this stuff because the bill is going to the military?"

"Oooh, what are you talking about? I have absolutely no idea."

I sighed. Well no one said dating Ranpha would be easy, but it makes a nice change compared to the quiet days I have.

We arrived at the store and Ranpha couldn't decide what to pick whilst I went over to the mens section and picked out an ideal trendy suit that suited me.

When I was done, Ranpha had just came out of the dressing room and she seemed to make a final choice.

"Alright, this is my final choice...I shall take this one." she said, making the purchase. "All right! That's everything ready for the ball."

Finally, I thought to myself, just how fast does she change her mind?

We soon left the store and were about to leave the shopping area when Ranpha spotted something on display.

"Oh look!" She exclaimed. "Those shoes look gorgeous!

"I agree, I think they would match well with you." I added.

"Hello customers." the store person said. "I'm afraid this pair is just for display for a sales promotion, regular customers can't buy these."

"Awww, what?" Ranpha moaned. "You're kidding me?"

I however thought of an idea. "Uh miss...Ranpha is the perfect woman for these shoes. Couldn't you please sell us them?"

The store owner wasn't convinced. "I already said they're for display only for a sales..."

I cut her off. "Yes, you said, but even so, shoes are the same as any other accessory for display. But true value only comes out when they're worn by a beautiful woman."

Ranpha blushed. "Geez, Arnold, you don't need to say that..."

"It's the truth, you're a good enough woman for these shoes."

"Arnold..."

The store owner finally gave in. "...I understand. If you're going to insist so much, I'll sell them for you for a price."

"Thank you." I replied. "I'll make the payment for it."

Ranpha was surprised. "Huh?! You're not going to charge them to the military?"

"Think of it as a present from me to you, will you accept?"

"Yeah...I do! I'm so happy now! Thank you, Arnold!"

I giggled as I made the purchase, had it gift wrapped and in a bag. Our shopping was over, so went back to the Elsior to rest for the ball.

It was the evening of the ball and I had arrived with the girls, although we were waiting for Tact who we heard had chosen Vanilla to be his date.

I was in my suit and I paid attention to Ranpha who was in her dress. But being the funny guy I was, I wanted to tease her a little bit.

"Well Arnold, how do I look?" she asked.

"Like a beautiful golden flower, bursting out with warmth like the suns rays." I replied confidently.

"Oooh, that's a good one." Forte commented. "Anyways, you're looking very sharp."

I looked at Ranpha. "Well it's cause I once heard that girls go crazy for a sharp dressed man."

"Ohhh I see and what else did you hear?" Ranpha asked.

"That you've got legs and you know how to use them."

She looked at me funny. "Would you like a smack in the mouth, mister?!"

"It was a joke!" I pleaded. "Besides, I meant that if some low slob tried to be your date, you would just kick them away and that would be a problem solved."

"Yeah, that's true...alright I'll let you off this time."

"Thanks...I won't say stuff like that in a place like this."

"Say Arnold, can we go to the top floor of the palace?"

"Sure...see you girls." I walked with Ranpha to the top floor.

The area was well sized and the windows and roof was one big window all around, we could see the area of Fargo city and the galaxy stars from here. However, I heard Ranpha beginning to feel a bit of pain and she took her shoes off that I bought for her.

"Ranpha...are you okay?" I asked.

"It's alright...owww." she replied.

"They look sore, were those shoes too small for you?"

I looked at her feet, they were sore indeed. "Ah...ow."

"Those shoes don't even fit at all now that I look at it, they're not even close to your size. Why didn't we notice that sooner when I bought them?"

"I...I don't know..."

"Here, I bought these with my suit." I took out a few tissues from my suit pocket and cleaned around her soles of her feet. "You'll have to keep your shoes off, but you should manage."

"Thanks..."

"Can you stand up?"

"Yeah, I can manage..." She began to sniff.

"Ranpha, what's the matter?"

"When I tried them on, they didn't fit. But I wanted to keep them, because you bought them for me. I wanted to wear them and dance with you!"

"I see..."

"When tonight came, I thought I'd get to dance with you, it would be so wonderful...but now, that magic is gone...the dream is over...it's not right."

This was the moment when I knew that Ranpha was the one for me and it was time for me to make a stand and become more than a close friend to her.

 _Background music: Galaxy Angel - Last Dance_

I took her hands and smiled. "Ranpha...the magic's not gone. Because I am here for you."

She looked at me. "Huh?"

"Ranpha, I have liked you more than the others ever since we first met. I was once hesitant but ever since then I become more confident to talk to you and become good friends. Then we became close friends when I joined the angel wing and tonight, I'm here to say that you're the girl that I want."

She blushed. "Arnold...then, shall we dance together?"

"Yes...I can hear the slow music from downstairs, take my hand."

Ranpha's smile came back as we danced to the slow waltz music. It may been a little odd for Ranpha to dance without her shoes, but she didn't care about that anymore. She was happy to hear what I said and I was happy to hear her response.

* * *

It was the night before the final battle against Eonia and his fleet, I decided to take up exercising in the gym to wear myself down a little so I could sleep better. I walked from my room and down to the gym, but Ranpha was already there and she was in her gym outfit.

"That sound...evening, Ranpha." I said.

"Oh, evening, Arnold." she replied, smiling. "Don't see you down here at this time of the night."

"Yeah, I wanted to take up on doing some training here before the final battle so that my legs and hands will be ready for the attacks."

"Really, because I had that same idea and for some reason, I'm wide awake." She went back to her martial arts training.

"I suppose you're really motivated for tomorrow's big battle?"

"I guess so."

"Well, right now you seem invincible."

"I hope so...whew." She stopped doing her training.

"What's wrong?"

"If I don't move my body like this, then I think I'd start to get worried."

"But why?"

"This fight determines the fate of the Empire, right? Am I really going to be able to save so many people's futures...?"

"Ranpha..."

"What should I do, Arnold? How I am supposed to live to up to everybody to the Empire's expectations?"

"Everybody in the empire is too much for one person. Don't think on a scale any larger than you need to."

"What do you mean?"

"Instead, think about the people you know and the people you love. There's still quite a bit I don't know about so this may be a guess. You know and love your family, right?"

"Of course."

"You care about me and the Angel Wing, right?"

"Yeah, I do."

"And you also wanna do your best for our commander who has to focus at all times, right?"

"Yeah...I want those you mentioned to be happy and I want to protect their futures."

"Then that's how the world is, it's made of small groups of irreplaceable people. If you feel strongly enough to protect the people important to you. than you can protect them forever."

Ranpha smiled. "Yeah...somehow I really believe in that...my chest is relaxing better when I think about it like that."

"That's the spirit."

She blinked. "Wait...that's not it."

"There's something else?"

"Yeah...remember what you said when we danced at Fargo? You said to me that I was the girl that you want, but since then, I never got the chance to tell you about my feelings."

"Now that I think about it, you're right." I walked towards her.

She began to blush. "Arnold...I didn't show it at first when we first met because I didn't know much about you. But after each day that passed by, I got to know you more and I started thinking that I really liked you."

"So you had feelings for me too?"

"Yeah...but I still wasn't sure until you came to my room with those flowers. You were so willing to impress me and help me out with the shopping. At times I felt that I was pushing you a bit hard, but you stuck it out and you even bought those shoes for me."

I smiled. "I was doing whatever I could to make you happy."

"And I really appreciate it...the point is that you've become a very important person to me...and I want to fight for you."

"Fight for me?"

"Yeah...I want to fight for the sake of our happiness. That means you'll have to fight for my sake too...because you're the man that I want too. Do you promise?"

I gave it a thought for a few seconds and it was all I needed. I was going to stick with my decision that I made since the date at Fargo.

I smiled, walked over to Ranpha and put my arms around her waist. "Ranpha... I promise. I'll fight for our sake too and I'll help win this final battle, for you."

 _Background Music: Galaxy Angel - A Peaceful Time_

She gasped. "Really?"

"I really do...I swear on my courage and honour...because...I love you."

She gasped before sniffling, but she was happy. "Arnold...I love you too!" She put her arms around my neck. "Then...seal our promise with a kiss."

"With a kiss?"

"If we share our power with a kiss, then we can win this fight because you're the most important person to me."

I smiled and looked into her beautiful light brown eyes. "I will...because you've become the most important person to me too."

We moved our heads close and locked our lips together for the kiss. Technically it was our second kiss since the first one happened back at the warehouse that we have kept secret ever since.

We were ready for the final battle as a couple, but I did wonder if Tact and Vanilla were ready as well and if they would become a couple...well, that's another story...

* * *

 **Yep, I couldn't resist to leave you readers hanging at the end, also did you like the ZZ Top references I put in there? ;)**

 **Up next, the Moonlit Lovers part where Tact has to deal with a Vanilla fan-club issue, whilst Arnold and Ranpha...paint the town pink?**


	11. Paint The Town Pink? (Vanilla Route)

**Here we go with the Moonlit Lovers part, Tact struggles with a Vanilla fan club whilst Arnold and Ranpha have a unique date they won't forget.**

* * *

Paint The Town Pink? (Vanilla Route)

Six Months Later...

I was sleeping peacefully on my bed in my room that I had on the White Moon, mumbling a few words until I heard a door open, but it didn't wake me up.

"Morning, Arnold..." I heard a voice call. It was Ranpha alright, my girlfriend of six months and to me, she was the best.

"Zzzz..." Was my only reply.

"Come on now, it's time to wake up."

I started mumbling whilst still dreaming. "Ohhh...mysterious girl...move your...body close to mine..."

"WAKE UP!"

"Waaah!" I jumped and fell out of my bed. "Ow..."

Ranpha giggled. "Oops...did I surprise you?"

I shook my head. "Morning, Ranpha...I wasn't expecting to be up as this time of morning."

"Sorry, but it's really important. Forte says that we have to be at the docking area, a new member is joining the Angel Wing today."

"A new member, we have to be up for just that?"

She began to feel boastful. "Well, we are the heroes who saved countless lives from Eonia and The Black Moon, right?"

I nodded as I got up and stretched. "So, is that all?"

"Not quite...anyways, you were saying something about a mysterious girl in your dream?"

I blushed. "Did I mention that when I was sleeping?"

"Well in a way you were sleep singing...I thought it was kinda cute."

"Oh...well that is embarrassing."

"Sooo, what was it?"

"Well it was you of course, I was mumbling about it and then I started seeing you in all of your beauty."

Ranpha smirked. "Ohhh, so that's how it is. As your girlfriend of six months, you can't stop dreaming about me?"

I blushed even redder.

Ranpha laughed before she remembered something. "Oh yes, I wanted to show you this and I wanted you opinion." She sat at a table and showed me a catalogue.

"A catalogue?"

"Yeah, it's a clothes design store, I just love the colours they use."

"So I can see, most of them are very flashy."

"I was wondering that since it's been six months since we got together, we could wear shirts from this site and show them off on our date."

I had a look at the colours and thought of one. "This pink hoodie would suit you really well."

"Do you think so...then let's get a matching pair.

I blinked. "Eh? I have to have one of those?"

"Yeah, we could wear matching shirts on our date and the people would be looking at us and feeling jealous. It would be the best date since...oh"

I sighed. "Yeah...it started off amazingly before the fall of Fargo."

"Hmm...let's not think about that."

"Agreed...anyways, I thought we were getting this for you."

"Oh you, Arnold. Our shirts have to match."

I hesitated for a second and that wasn't a good move.

She lost her smile. "You don't want to...you'd be embarrassed to wear matching shirts?"

I looked at her with my arm around her. "Not at all, if it's for you and as your boyfriend, I'll gladly wear one for our next date."

She smiled. "I'm glad you'd say that."

"Oh, it says you can them named as well."

"Yeah, it has a few custom options so it can be designed to our tastes."

"In that case, let's go with these pink hoodies, I'll leave the rest to you."

"Okay, Arnold. I'll order them right away, I hope we get them in time for our next date."

"Same here...anyways, we should get ready to meet the newcomer."

"Yeah, I'll see you at the docking area, don't be too late, okay?" She left my room.

I changed into my uniform and I left my room after cleaning my face up. It had been six months since Eonia and the Black Moon were defeated and a lot had changed, Shiva was now the Empress after coming out that she was a female all along, Luft was appointed as Prime Minister of the entire Transbaal military and Tact and the Elsior team were assigned to the frontier and Vanilla went with him, me and the other angels were hoping they were getting close.

* * *

One Week Later...

We just had our first battle in six months, Chitose the newcomer, Ranpha and myself had helped Vanilla eliminate a group of automated ships. We flew our frames inside the Elsior, I hadn't seen this place for a long time. Tact was standing there in the hanger, waiting for us.

"Okay, is everybody here?" He asked.

"I can hear you from this spot." I replied. "Good to see you and you haven't lost your touch with your command."

"Nah, it was thanks to you for doing well that we won."

"Tact!" Ranpha greeted. "Your command hasn't gotten any worse, I was able to perform out there, thanks to you."

"Ranpha, good to see you and Arnold together."

"Tact, I have returned." Vanilla said. "Arnold, Ranpha. It is wonderful to see you again."

"Same to you, Vanilla." I replied, giving her a quick hug.

Chitose came on by and introduced herself to Tact, we then walked to the bridge where we gave Tact the objective to investigate the source of the new invasion happening around the Lena system, but before that, we would need to find a city station for resupplies and then rendezvous with the other angels. I began to feel hungry, so we left the bridge and went straight to the cafeteria.

"So this is the cafeteria?" Chitose asked. "It is wonderful and very spacious."

"Yeah and the catering team that works here make the best food." I replied.

"Hmmm, it finally feel likes I'm really home again" Ranpha said. "Let's eat up!"

We found a table and sat down with Ranpha and I on one side and Tact and Vanilla on the other side with Chitose sitting next to Ranpha.

"She doesn't feel like's back until she's at the cafeteria?" Tact asked.

Ranpha wasn't amused. "What did you say, buster?"

"N-nothing!"

We then ordered our food one by one although we were surprised that Vanilla waited until she and Tact ordered together. When we got our food, we began talking about the mysterious message that Tact heard form the Space Whale which led to Chitose offering to take care of the message with her encryption abilities which surprised us all. We moved on to thinking how we had grown and I did admit. Ranpha used to change between moods a lot and was mostly energetic, yet it may be thanks to me, but she had become more mellow and mature for the last few months.

"You know, thinking about it." Tact said. "You've grown in the last months, Ranpha."

"Oh and how so?" Ranpha asked.

"Around the stomach."

She suddenly elbowed him in the chest.

"Gwah!"

"Oooh, I'm so sorry, did my elbow hit you? I was trying to pick up my tray, ohohoho!"

I shook my head. "Tact, you gotta learn to not talk to my girlfriend that way."

"Tact...drink." Vanilla said, offering it to him.

"Are you okay?" Chitose asked.

"I think so...ow my ribs." He replied.

"Arnold, how is your sugar level?" Vanilla asked.

"It's above the normal level and Ranpha checks on me sometimes." I replied.

"It's a little catch in our relationship." Ranpha added. "But I wouldn't change my boyfriend in the world."

"Wow, you really have changed I think." Tact said. "You seem to be much more run down then energetic these days."

Ranpha glared at him. "You another shot in the ribs?!"

"Daaah!" Tact hid behind Vanilla causing her to blush. "Don't hurt me again..."

I face palmed, he REALLY had to stop teasing her in the wrong way.

* * *

We were at the Crinea Space Station for resupplies to the Elsior, it was the evening time and I had just woken up from after a nap in my guest room when Ranpha rushed in.

"Hey Arnold! Look! They're here!" She exclaimed happily.

"Ranpha...what is it?" I asked.

"Our matching clothes have finished! The guy I ordered them from brought them here with the supplies."

"Sweet! That saves us a leg trip on that at least."

She showed them to me. "Here's yours." She gave me one of the pink hoodies that had her name and face on it. "This is the one I'll be wearing." Hers was one with my name and face on it.

"Well I have to say...these look much better when being held in person."

"Yeah, awesome right? When I put it on, it feels like I can hug you whenever I want."

I giggled. "I see."

"And you'll never feel lonely if you're wearing clothes with a drawing of me, right?"

"Yeah, that's another good thing about these shirts."

"Okay, let's go and wear these out at the city station."

"Oh right, we're at Crinea now...I think this is the perfect time to have our date."

"Yeah, shall we go?"

I then thought of a risky yet cunning idea. "Just before we do, mind if I visit the warehouse and meet you by the hanger?"

"Warehouse...why do you want to go there first?"

"Because I have an idea of how we can go out and make our date the best one, the date that we will never forget."

Ranpha felt curious. "Well...alright, if it makes our date even better, I'll meet you at the hanger. I'll just get changed into my clothes with this hoodie, don't keep me waiting for too long. He he he."

She left my room, giving me some privacy to change into my relaxing clothes with the pink hoodie on and I left my room and walked down to the warehouse and over to a container that was under furniture and decorations. I opened it up and looked at so many paint cans and brushes. I picked out one that was in pink and a paintbrush, before closing the container and leaving the warehouse. I got to the hanger where thankfully, no one else was around except for Ranpha who was now in her relaxing clothes with the pink hoodie on.

"Arnold, good that you're here." She then noticed what I was holding. "What's with the paint can and brush?"

"It would be better if I showed you than explain it." I replied. "But I'm ready to go, so we can move."

I held her hand with my free hand since my other one had the paint can and brush. We left the Elsior and into the city, we walked around and people were taking notice of our matching shirts and giving us varied looks from shocked to confused. But I didn't care about that, all I cared then was Ranpha who was smiling away, feeling happy that this was coming true. We then found a dark alleyway that led to a secluded park and there was no one around, it was time to put my plan into motion.

"So Arnold, what are we doing here?" Ranpha asked.

"Well Ranpha, you know the old saying on wanting to paint the town red?" I asked back.

"Yeah..."

"Well I was thinking, why not paint a teeny part of the town pink, starting with this beige wall."

She gasped. "Arnold...are you serious?"

"I really am...I know that this isn't the ideal kind of a romantic date, but I wanted to be bold and creative."

I opened up the can of pink paint, dipped the brush in and painted a section of the beige wall.

Ranpha gasped before she laughed. "Oh my! If anyone saw this, we'd be in serious trouble."

"But that's the beauty of it, there's no one else around." I finished what I was painting. "There we are, A+R 4Ever!"

She smiled. "Ahhh, that's you and me, right?"

"Yep...you wanna try it?"

"Well since you were willing to wear matching pink shirts, I guess I owe you something in return. Sure, give it here."

I handed the brush to her and she painted a huge heart line around the message. She then put the brush down and grabbed the paint can.

"Oooh, is this some kind of finale?" I asked.

"Yeah, let's paint this part of the city pink together." She replied.

We grabbed the can together and threw the paint right at another part of the wall.

*SPLAT*

We both laughed and moved away from the wall that was now pasted in pink. We wrapped around each other in an embrace before sharing a loving kiss. Then a stray cat came strolling down, looks like there were people coming. Ranpha and I looked at each other with one thing in mind...run! We rushed out of the alleyway, leaving the can and brush behind through the opposite exit before we slowed down and walked to a somewhat classy cafe.

"Well, that was a little tense but still fun." I said, holding her hand.

"Yeah...but I have to say, I never knew you were that brave." Ranpha replied. "I have the best boyfriend ever."

"And I have the best girlfriend ever too, because you took part in what we did and I wanna thank you for that."

"It was okay...I actually had a lot of fun. You were right, it wasn't exactly romantic but it was daring and it was fun."

"And best of all, we kept our matching shirts perfectly clean, not a trace of paint on ours."

"Still, this date was so far much better than the last, though I do hope we get to dance and embrace again when this operation is over."

"Oh yeah, shouldn't we be getting back to the Elsior?"

"Yeah, it's getting a little late and they may be wondering where we are."

We left the cafe and walked all the way back to the Elsior and outside her room. We shared one more embrace with a soft kiss before she went into her room and I went back to mine. I had three words to sum up the night...BEST DATE EVER!

* * *

The following day had passed and we engaged with Rezom's fleet whilst Milfie, Mint and Forte reunited with us. Now all seven of us were together and our next destination was the system of Lena. However we had a day off and I was walking around the ship until I found Ranpha outside her room.

"Hmm hmm hmm, la la la la la." Ranpha hummed happily before seeing me. "Oh Arnold, yahoo!"

"Ranpha, you seem pretty happy, something new?" I asked.

"According to my horoscope, my love fortune today is the best that it can be! Something wonderful will happen."

"And I guess I have to help and make sure it happens?"

"Yeah, I want to create a confession scene from 'Beneath The Secret Moonlight'."

"Beneath The Secret Moonlight...I must've missed that one."

"No way, you haven't seen that?"

"Nope, but I am curious as to what the scene is about."

"Oh...it's where the hero says this line. 'Angel standing on the water, wearing the colours of the rainbow. I want to melt you frozen body with my heart'. Ahhh, doesn't that sound romantic?"

Was that even proper English, I thought to myself. "Sounds very unique, so do you want me to remember that?"

"Yes, please rehearse that line as much as you can. I've gotta go and set it all up, meet me in the park at 22:00, okay?"

I nodded. "22:00 at the virtual park, got it."

"Thank you, see you then." She rushed off and I walked off to catch up on the other angels and they were discussing about Tact and Vanilla finally confessing to being a couple.

It was the evening time and I walked to the virtual park as Ranpha told me to.

"Okay...where is she?" I asked. "I'm right here."

"Arnold, over here!" She called.

I walked over to where she was standing by the fountain. "Put the switch on beside you."

"Okay." I switched it on and suddenly Ranpha began to fly up among the fountain colours.

"Well, beautiful right?" She asked.

"Woah! That is so cool!" I said happily as I looked up to her. "And it's really beautiful."

"He he he he, thanks. Say, Arnold, do you remember the scene we talked about earlier?"

"Beneath The Secret Moonlight?"

"Yeah...I want you to say that line I asked you rehearse."

"Alright, here I go..." I cleared my throat and put on a classy voice. "Angel standing on the water, wearing the colours of the rainbow. I want to melt your frozen body with my heart."

She smiled happily. "Arnold! I love you!

I smiled back, blushing. "Ranpha...I love you too."

She the gasped. "Oh, I almost forgot."

"What is it?"

"We were supposed to meet at Chitose's room with all of us together."

"Ah...then how shall I get you down?"

"Just switch off the fountain and I should float back down."

I did so, pushing the switch to off and Ranpha began floating back down beside the fountain. Although I rushed over and grabbed her in my arms just to be sure before we left the park with smiles all the way to Chitose's room who showed us some sparkler and they did make a bit of fun of Vanilla and Tact being a little late.

* * *

It was the night before we would be facing Nefuria and her Val-Fasc fleet. Almost everyone was ready, but I wanted to check on Ranpha and make sure she was okay with what we'll be facing tomorrow. I was sitting at the table in her room and she had just finished writing a letter.

"Evening Arnold." She said. "I just wrote this letter down."

"A letter for who?" I asked.

"My family. Whenever I can, I sent a letter out with gifts for my little brothers and I hope you don't mind, but I mentioned about you in my last letter before this one."

"Ah and what do they think of me?"

"Well, my little brothers think your dull but I know that isn't true, my mother however thinks highly of you and my father actually wants to meet you, probably because of something that could happen in the future." She started blushing.

"Family, eh?" I sighed sadly.

Ranpha felt concerned. "What's wrong?"

"I was just thinking about that word, family. I don't even remember if I have one or had one."

"No way...how could you not have a family?"

"That's one of so many questions that keep playing on my mind...I don't remember what my past was like, the earliest I can trace my mind back to when I was growing up in an orphanage, the memories of even my birthdays are almost non-existent at best."

"That's...really sad...say Arnold." She took my hand for comfort. "When this war with the Val-Fasc is over, would you like to come with me and see my family back on my home world?"

I looked at her in her eyes. "You would do that for me?"

"Yeah, I want to...but thinking about the future...what's gonna happen if we don't win?"

"Don't win..."

"What if Unit #7 doesn't work? What if you were shot down in battle? What if I was shot down in battle?" She began to sniff.

I put my other hand on her left shoulder.

She was feeling emotional. "What if we don't come back..."

I knew there was one thing for it. I pressed my lips with hers in a surprise kiss which surprised her but eventually she fell into the kiss, until I pulled away.

"Arnold..."

"Feeling better?" I asked.

"Yeah...thanks...sorry about my sudden mood change."

"It's alright...you're over thinking the least likely scenarios too much. You need to believe that we can do it...no, we will do it, we will help everyone we know and care, we will defeat Nefuria and the Val-Fasc and with Tact and Vanilla being chosen to pilot Unit #7, they will succeed in obliterating the O'Gaub." I began to smirk. "And if there's any time, we'll take a photo in front of the enemy supercarrier and sent it to your family, so your little brothers can say that I am a superhero."

Ranpha smiled. "Arnold...you're an idiot."

I laughed. "I know...sometimes I am, but I'm your idiot."

Ranpha giggled. "Yes you are...but you're a special kind of idiot. One who laughs in the face of our enemies, no matter how big they are...this is why I'm happy to know and love you."

"Hearing those words makes me happy that I know and love you too...even if I like to make a joke now and then, but seriously, we will also win for our future."

"Yeah...mind if we embrace?"

I got up from the chair. "For you...anything."

We shared a loving embrace with our arms around each others, safe in the knowledge that we would win tomorrow's battle.

* * *

 **So what do you think of the twist, eh? Instead of the movie like in the ML game, Arnold and Ranpha did something daring!**

 **Next up is the final part of the Tact & Vanilla route where several events occur and not even ****Arnold & Ranpha can stop it.**


	12. The Hero & The Heroine (Vanilla Route)

**Time for the Eternal Lovers part where Arnold & Ranpha put aside their time to help out Tact and Vanilla's relationship issue as part of a minor twist.**

* * *

The Hero & The Heroine (Vanilla Route)

Well, I never expected the vacation to be more than just seeing Ranpha's family. When we defeated Nefuria, we were given a 30-day paid vacation and Ranpha and I immediately went to plan with seeing her family. Her little brothers were what I heard about in her letters and they did try to take advantage of me, but Ranpha was there to make sure they didn't go overboard.

I then spoke with her mother and seemed to genuinely like me and how much of a smart and caring gentleman I was. Her father was also positive towards me, at first he had some things on his mind but when I answered his questions as straight to the point as I could, he then fully approved of me being the one that Ranpha chose and wanted to be with. But that wasn't the only thing we did, during the week away on her home world, Ranpha and I were dressed in sport clothing and with our matching pink hoodies.

"Hah...hah...hah." I panted. "Now that was more than a long mile run."

"Huh, you can't be tired already?" Ranpha asked.

"Of course not, it's been a while since I exercised daily. But still, I have no excuses for slouching around."

"Yeah...in a way, it's your fault for not being in the gym as often as I am."

"Understandable...but I will keep on running and doing other sports."

"That's the way, Arnold! Say, let's run to over there where the lighthouse is."

"Oh it's on, Ranpha!" I caught my breath and ran past her by surprise. It was tiring but it was a great week together.

23 Days Later...

We were back on the Elsior, travelling to the south west part of the galaxy where Val-Fasc forces were amassing, preparing to strike with a counter-attack. I was in Ranpha's room and we were thinking back to when we had our vacation with her family that actually helped me feel at ease with talking about that word, but I still had some things on my mind, such as what were my parents like and where was my home world?

"Hey, are you okay?" Ranpha asked.

I snapped out of my trance. "Yeah, I'm fine."

 _Background Music: Galaxy Angel - Ranpha's Theme_

"Are you tired? You've been sleeping for longer hours for a few weeks."

"Really? I guess I must've been shattered after all the sport activities we did during our vacation." I smiled at her. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop doing those, because looking back now, I'm developing some muscles."

She blinked. "Oooh, well I'm now curious to see what they're like. Anyways, you're always working hard for me, so I'm happy about it."

"And more importantly, I can just tell you if something's on my mind, just a like a boyfriend should."

"Yep, yep...by the way, there's an old saying. Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"Yeah, I once heard about that. They say that when two people haven't seen each other for a long time or are very far away, they start become more fond and loving towards one another."

Ranpha nodded. "That's right."

"Ahhh, it's like two people coming together as one with endless faith, devotion and love. Like two souls joining hand in hand together..."

Ranpha blushed. "Oh...you're thinking that far ahead?"

"Uhhh...well, maybe I am...forgive me."

"It's okay, Arnold. If you want to think ahead for the future, I don't mind at all. I know, maybe after the upcoming war with the Val-Fasc is over, we can discuss about that and what we should have."

"Yeah, I think that would be the best option to go for."

"Good...say, what can we do now?"

I smiled at her. "Well that's easy, it's to enjoy my time with you."

"He he, as long as you understand that."

"And you don't need to ask me...because I wanna hold you tight as well."

She blushed again. "Yeah, hold me close."

 _Background Music: Galaxy Angel - Ranpha's Theme (Arranged)_

We sat on the bed and I put my arms around her waist when she sat on my lap.

"How's this, Ranpha?" I asked.

"Mmmm" She hummed, holding to my hands around her. "When you hold me like this, your hands are a little big, I like it."

"Me too...and the warmth and scent of your hair...I almost want to rest my head on your shoulders."

She looked at me. "Awww, is my Arnold getting sleepy again?"

"Nope...this man is gonna stay alert and awake."

Ranpha giggled until a beep went off.

"Yes, go ahead." I said.

"Angel Wing, prepare to scramble, Val-Fasc fleet has been detected on radar." Tact replied.

We got up from the bed. "Looks like it's time to put our war faces on."

"Yeah, let's get out there and deliver some justice." Ranpha declared.

"Uhh, isn't that supposed to be my line?"

"Well you were the one who got me used to your random references and it's fun!"

"Okay, okay...but now's the time for action."

"Yeah, let's go."

We rushed out of her room, it was time to resume the war with the Val-Fasc.

After we helped rescued a civilian ship that had two people from Eden which stunned us all, Tact brought Lushati and Wein to the guest room to learn more about Eden and why the Val-Fasc are involved. So I had nowhere to sleep for the time being, but thankfully, Ranpha was more than happy to have me sleep in her room. Which was perfect timing because learning about Lushati and Wein being brother and sister caused me to have a headache and Vanilla advised me to rest.

So I slept in Ranpha's bed and it was very comfy, perhaps a bit more comfy than the bed in the guest room. I began to dream away which may have told me something about my past and then it turned into a nightmare, causing me to wake up with my eyes wide open and unable to focus.

"ARGH!" I yelled as I got out of bed. "Hah...hah...hah...what the heck...was that?!"

Suddenly the door opened. "Arnold!" Ranpha exclaimed. "What happened?"

"R-Ranpha...I'm...here?"

"You're shaking a little...and you're covered in sweat, did you have a nightmare?"

I couldn't say anything, I was still in shock at what I saw in the dream. Then I felt her arms wrapped around me and I put my head on her shoulder. "Hic...it...was...awful..."

"Oh Arnold...I don't get what happened, but it's okay. See, I'm right here."

"...Ranpha..."

"Calmed down a little bit?"

"Y-yeah...I feel much better now...thank you..."

"Really? Thank goodness."

"I'm sorry I made you worry...that was quite unmanly of me."

"Awww you don't have to. I know that you are a strong man, it's alright to have sensitive emotions."

I put my arms around her. "Yeah...you're right, you're here with me."

"Of course, there's no need to be scared anymore, right?" She then put her hands around my waist. "See, there, there."

"Uhhh, that's ticklish."

"He he he, I used to do that to my little brothers everytime they try to catch me."

"Well, maybe I don't mind it at all."

"Good...but about what happened, did you have a bad dream?"

"Yeah...and it turned into a nightmare and it freaked me out."

"If you can...what was it about?"

I explained the whole dream to her and how it could be a warning or something, she felt more curious.

"Hmm, so you think it's like an omen?" She asked.

I nodded. "Possibly, but I won't know for sure unless I get a chance to speak with Lady Shatyarn, she might know something about my past."

"Maybe she might...but that may have to wait until we find out more on what we'll be doing next now that we have two people from Eden on the ship."

I looked in her eyes. "Yeah, I know that...but if there's time for me ask her along the way, it would prevent me from any added further aggravation to my piloting work."

She looked back. "Good point..."

"So how did you hear me from close by?"

"Oh, me and the other angels were listening in on what Tact was saying to the two people in the guest room when I heard you yell. But before we did, Milfie suggested a group picnic to welcome Lushati and Wein. If you can come, it would make a positive difference."

"Well, I would but I'm still shaken from earlier..."

"Please...I am really happy that you wanna place me before yourself and I love you for that, but don't forget about our closest friends. Milfie is an old friend of mine and she was your first friend too, it would mean a lot to me especially."

I smiled at her. "Alright...I will gladly come along, because I love you too."

She smiled back. "Yeah...thanks, but we can stay like this a little longer if you want."

"Yeah, it'll help me until we see our friends."

* * *

Well the picnic helped apart from the sprinkler incident, but as the days passed by, we had started to notice that Tact and Vanilla had not had much chance to be with each other due to the busy work, while although my relationship with Ranpha was as strong as it's been, we just couldn't help but feel bad for Vanilla and I think the other angels were starting to notice too.

We then met Admiral Rowil, number two of the Val-Fasc and we beat him and his fleet, but not before he dropped a bombshell that was shared to everyone around, detailing the past on what happened to my parents...I snapped and lost all control of emotions before rushing back to Ranpha's room, looking for solace and where I would be safe. The next day rolled around and when I woke up, I was still on Ranpha's bed...and then I felt Ranpha sleeping beside me.

She must've been really worried for me, I smiled weakly as I gently moved out of the bed before I left her room and walked all the way down to the hanger, got into my frame and flew all the way to the White Moon to get some answers. I came back later with my limiter removed so I would be more powerful and my sadness was gone. With me back in the fight, we found Rowil's home base and I gave him the killing blow with help from Ranpha's anchor claw. I was happy that he was finally gone, although we were curious as to why enemy reinforcements showed up, something else was going on here.

When we boarded our frames, we sat in the lounge where Milfie treated me to a luxury cake slice and Ranpha hugged me, happy that I was back to normal.

But the peace was not to last, during a battle, Vanilla's harvester malfunctioned and it had to be shot down. We were devastated to see it turn out like this, but we had to keep pushing forward towards Eden and catching up with Unit #7 which had been stolen by Wein who turned out to be a Val-Fasc although I had my suspicions about him for a long while. This was confirmed when we dealt with him in the first battle, but then he retreated and we then escaped a Val-Fasc fleet thanks to help from our allies.

We were back at the White Moon, with the Elsior and our Emblem frames wrecked...I felt bad for Clayton who he and his team would have to work extremely hard to repair them. But there was one good news, Vanilla had woken up and was resting in a spare room on the White Moon. Tact had yet to arrive but the rest of us were already there.

"Vanilla, are you really okay?" Ranpha asked.

"Yes, there is nothing wrong anywhere." Vanilla replied.

Mint sighed. "Really? That is a relief to hear."

"I am truly glad." Chitose added. "I was besides myself, worrying that you wouldn't wake up."

Forte shook her head. "Come on, Chitose. Don't say such sad things."

"Then should we have a part to celebrate your complete recovery?" Milfie asked.

"I don't think there's any problem with that." I replied. "But we should wait until Tact gets here."

Then speak of the devil, he arrived to join us and he saw Vanilla. "Vanilla...

"Tact..." Vanilla replied, surprised to see him.

"Thank goodness...you're really awake."

"..."

"Oooh, look at those two stare at each other." Forte commented.

"I guess a couple doesn't need to communicate." Ranpha added as I held her hand.

"It's so romantic." Chitose said. "I have to write this in my diary."

*GROWL*

Suddenly, a blue wolf appeared beside Vanilla and growled at Tact.

"Ahhh!" Milfie exclaimed, jumping back a bit.

"What the hell?!" I gasped.

"Hold it, those nanomachines look weird." Ranpha said.

I nodded, keeping Ranpha away from the animal. "Yeah, now that you mention it, her little bunny nanomachine has suddenly turned into a blue wolf."

"They look kind of scary." Milfie sighed.

"I think we better stay back, girls, this is not safe right now."

Tact walked forward to Vanilla. "What's going on with your nanomachines, Vanilla?"

*GROWL*

He was suddenly knocked down by what I now believe was Vanilla's nanomachine pet. "Ow...why did the nanomachine...attack me?"

"Vanilla, are your nanomachines a little out of control?" Forte asked. "What the heck's going on?!"

"I can't...stop them..." Vanilla replied as she held her forehead, looks like she was hurting mentally in some way. "Please...don't attack...Tact."

"This is going to be really stupid, but let me try." I said.

"Arnold, are you insane?!" Ranpha gasped.

*GROWL* It suddenly got off Tact and turned towards me.

"Whew...I'm saved." Tact sighed as he slowly got up.

"Tact...I'm sorry." Vanilla said and she ran out of the room.

"She ran away!" Milfie exclaimed.

"The nanomachine disappeared too." Chitose added.

"Hey, shouldn't you go after her, Tact?" Ranpha asked.

"Yeah, we're not going to be able to discuss it here." Tact replied. "I'm going after her."

He ran out of the room, possibly to find Vanilla. The rest of us sighed and we walked back to the Elsior.

* * *

Later on in the lounge, we were with Tact and he looked devastated. Vanilla was not with us and half of us knew the reason why.

"What's the matter, Tact?" Milfie asked. "You've been sighing for a while now."

"Tact is suffering from a broken heart." Mint explained.

"A broken heart, what do you mean?" Chitose asked.

"I was surprised too when I heard that Vanilla was quitting the Angel Wing." Forte said.

Well that was a bombshell to end all bombshells!

Tact sighed again. "It's the truth."

"You're her boyfriend right?" Ranpha asked. "Why didn't you stop her?"

"...stop her, huh..."

"That's right. If you were really thinking about her, you would stop her by force."

Uh oh, I knew where this was going. Ranpha was about to give out one of her tough love lectures.

Tact was silent.

"What? Got nothing to say? Not going to make any excuses?"

"Ranpha, it's not fair to put all the blame on him." Milfie protested.

Yeah, if anything, Tact should've learnt to not give a crap about what Lester said, his cold-hearted commitment to the mission did not help. I thought to myself.

"Arnold, now's not the time to start playing the blame game." Mint said as her bunny ears flapped.

I blushed. "Oops...sorry about that...don't mind me."

"Anyways, Vanilla is a member of the Angel Wing, just like us." She continued. "We are all responsible for not stopping her."

"Of course we're all together." Ranpha replied. "But..."

"Where is she right now?" Chitose asked.

"She's already left, she's on the White Moon." Mint replied.

"Already?" I asked. "Poor girl..."

"The bonds of the Angel Wing are not broken easily." Forte said.

I sighed. "And yet Wein was able to do just that...the damn Val-Fasc really got one over us, we must be a laughing stock to them, right now."

"Tact, you've got to do something about her." Ranpha said.

"No matter what you say, there's nothing I can do." Tact replied.

I silently face palmed, bad choice of words Tact...very bad choice of words.

Ranpha sighed angrily. "...Pathetic!"

"Huh?"

She looked at him angrily and slammed her hands on the table. "Watching you makes me want to gag!"

I sat well back and preferred to not say anything over this.

"Geez, calm down, Ranpha." Milfie said.

"I won't calm down! I'll never forgive anybody for abandoning their precious girlfriend."

"I didn't, I never abandoned her!" Tact protested. "Is that just that...

"What, you're blaming her? Right now, you have to think about each other, but all I hear about is how Vanilla's doing this and how Vanilla's doing that...and just how are you thinking about her?!

Tact gasped. "What am I...I...I."

I nodded. "Alright Ranpha, that's enough."

"But..."

"I think your words got through to him."

"Agreed, now we just have to leave it to Tact to think about it." Mint said.

"Yeah, I think we should leave it to him now." Forte added. "Let's go, Angels."

We left Tact to think about it whilst the rest of us went our ways. Ranpha and I went into my guest room and we laid down on the bed together, I could tell that something was on her mind.

"Arnold...this may sound selfish of me, but I just can't stop thinking about it." She said.

"About what?" I asked.

"What I said to him...I just realized what was not in my mind at the time...I wanna go and speak to him."

"Well if you need to, feel free to do so...oh and I wanna help too. Shall I go to the White Moon and convince Vanilla to come back?"

She blinked at me. "With that nanomachine pet out of control...are you sure?"

"It's better to try and sometimes fail then to have not tried at all."

"Hmm can't argue with that...well make sure you stay safe. I don't want you to get hurt...and I think Vanilla would say the same as a close friend."

"Yeah, but still I'll do my best to keep myself unharmed...besides, thanks to the training in the gym, I'm ready to take it on."

"Okay, Arnold...let's go out there and bring two people back together, like match makers!"

I laughed. "Ha ha, that's the spirit! I'm going to the hanger now."

Ranpha kissed me and left my room and I rushed to the hanger and got into my frame. I flew to the White Moon and rushed over to find Vanilla in the Throne room.

Vanilla turned and gasped as she saw me. "Arnold! What are you doing here?"

"I'm about to do something I may either be proud of or regret it for life." I replied, walking towards her.

Suddenly, the nanomachine pet appeared in front of her and growled at me.

"Yeah, yeah, nice growl." I taunted. "Come at me, bro!"

*GROWL*

Vanilla was surprised. "Arnold! Wait!"

The pet charged at me, but I dodged the attack and landed a fist shot on one of its legs.

*GROWL*

"Just bring it, wolfy!" I taunted it again.

It galloped towards me, but I was ready with a swift knee strike in the stomach.

*GROWL*

"You've got some resilience...but can you handle the special that Ranpha taught me?"

"Arnold! Please stop!" Vanilla tried to yell.

*GROWL*

"Here it comes...ultra shooting star kick!"

My kick landed on the pet's head perfectly...it stopped growling and suddenly fell to the floor. It was still alive and okay, but it was knocked out at best. I then turned around to see Vanilla who was in tears. I walked over to her and I wrapped her in a friendly hug.

"Why...hic" she cried. "hic...why did you...attack...my...hic...nanomachines?"

I sighed. "I'm really sorry Vanilla...but if I was going to be able to speak to you right, I had to make sure I was safe. It was a question of survival, basic human instinct and all that. I wanted to tell you that you being here and not with the Angel Wing is such an easy way out."

"What...do you mean?"

"You know that being here is wrong...it's too little too late for Tact to change what he could've done in the past, but that doesn't mean you should just give up. He's your boyfriend and your his girlfriend. You two belong to each other, you just need to believe in yourself that you can trust him and be with him...or was all that just a lie?"

Vanilla gasped. "N-no...I do love him and...I want to be with him. But...how I do believe in myself?"

"I don't know how...you just have to...now come on, it's best if you come back."

Vanilla looked away before looking back at me. "Alright, Arnold...I will return to the Angel Wing, but I would like to come back via the warehouse."

"Ahhh, a surprise return. Good idea, I'll help you with that."

"Thank you...what about my nanomachines?"

"I'll carry it with you."

She nodded and we left the Throne room, good thing Shatyarn and Noah weren't here to see this.

* * *

We eventually made it to Eden and we freed the home planet of Juno where I went on and survived a jungle quest that my father had to take, earning a trip to Library and getting a dimension gate key that would be the gateway to a future. We then attended a victory ball at the Sky Palace and I got to dance with Ranpha whilst Tact and Vanilla finally solved the nanomachine problem...by Tact promising to marry Vanilla some day.

We then had to deal with the Val-Fasc's counter attack but with Vanilla restored. the mobile depth charges were no match for us. We then learnt more about the Chrono Quake Bomb as well as what my dimension gate key could do. We left Eden and we were on route to the Val-Fasc's home-world, the long down time we had was desperately needed and we made sure that would be ready for the final battle.

There were at least one or two loose ends that I wanted to tie up, so I went to the virtual park where I was waiting for Ranpha.

"Sorry." She said as she walked up to me. "Were you waiting?"

"Nope, I just got here." I replied.

"Can I sit next to you?"

"Sure, let's sit by the hill where we have our group picnics."

"Yeah, good choice."

We sat by the bottom of the hill with my arm around her and we looked at the night sky which was different from normal.

"Don't the stars out tonight look a little different from the other ones?" Ranpha asked.

"Yeah, I heard from Tact that he retrieved some info about the star skies from the Val-Fasc's home-world and he had it installed." I replied.

"It feels a little mysterious...looking up at a night sky from somewhere you've never been."

I looked at her. "It's all of our jobs to make sure those stars can continue to shine."

"Yeah...we have to win the war against the Val-Fasc." She rested her head on my shoulder. "You know, we've come a very long way."

I nodded. "We sure have...more than seven months ago, we first met and now look at us, we're a wonderful couple and we've changed a little bit of ourselves which has made us stronger."

She sighed happily. "Stronger...both physically and romantically. We're the greatest pilots of the galaxy."

I held her right hand with my right hand. "That would make us Galaxy Angels, right?"

"Galaxy Angels...yeah, that sounds cool. I love that name."

"I'm glad you do...and I also love you, Ranpha. I have loved you ever since we first met."

"Ahhh...and I love you too, Arnold...say, can we stay together forever after this?"

"Yes we can...and I'll do all in my power to make that a reality."

Ranpha turned around and we shared a kiss, then was saw Tact and Vanilla by the fountain. they didn't see us, but we noticed Tact give Vanilla something and they shared a gentle kiss.

"Ahhh, looks like Tact and Vanilla have made a commitment, that's so beautiful." Ranpha said.

"It is...and when we win, I'll make ours a dream come true...for now, let's just pretend that it's still just the two of us here."

"Yeah...I'm cool with that."

We resumed our gentle kiss with our arms around each other until we fell down on the dry grass, side by side with our lips locked in. This was the girl I always wanted and she going to be mine...for all time.

* * *

 **That's the Tact and Vanilla route done with both them and Arnold & Ranpha ready to contemplate marriage in the future. I also hope you guys enjoyed Ranpha's toned down behaviour which is thanks to Arnold's personality.**

 **Up next is the start of the final route! The Tact & Chitose route which means that whilst Arnold and Forte get together in their own way, one of the other angels is going to get her heart broken. :( But who will it be? I'll leave you to guess that one.**


	13. Learning To Protect (Chitose Route)

**Here we go with the final route and to keep it a little fresh, this one begins at around Chapter 7.**

* * *

Learning To Protect (Normal/Chitose Route)

When I joined the angel Wing, I was thrown out of the frying pan and into the fire. I got my first taste of a real battle when we dealt with the first missile frigates. Ever since then, I had went from being a crew worker the girls were aware of to one of their closest friends. All five of the girls really liked me and I liked them back, but there was one angel that I liked a little bit more than the other four.

Forte Stollen. The ring-leader and sort of like a big sister to the girls. The one angel who always had our backs as long as we made sure her back was protected. She was the one who took a huge interest in me when she first saw my potential and thanks to her, I have my own protection such as my desert eagle pistol. On a personal level, I wasn't sure why I liked her more. Was it her maturity, was it her impressive collection of weapons from forgotten eras or that short red hair of hers?

I was snapped out of my focus when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Alright, Angel Wing, you're dismissed." Tact said.

I was wondering what he meant by that but we left the bridge and we walked to the lounge.

"Yo Arnold." Forte said. "Got some time with us, girls?"

"Yeah, what do you want?" I asked.

"You know about the ball, well we had a bit of an idea."

"As the only male member of the Angel Wing, we're wondering if there is someone you like." Milfie said.

"Who I like, eh?" I asked, pondering over it.

"We're wondering because we really like you, but since there's only one of you, you can only reply back to one of us." Ranpha said.

"But you don't need to think about it too hard." Mint added. "Because we also prepared ourselves on what we'll be doing for the ball in advance."

"We will respect your decision." Vanilla said.

"The point is that all five of us are nominating ourselves to be your date." Forte added. "If you have feelings for wanting to date one of us, just come up to our rooms and call for the one you like the most."

"I see...I can understand that. But if I may ask, do any of you like Tact enough to nominate yourselves as his dance partner?"

"Dance partner?" Vanilla asked.

"Yeah, as commander of the ship and the one we've followed orders for, I think he'll have to make a choice on who he wants to dance with."

"Good point." Forte replied. "But just between us angels, we like you and care for you more than Tact, it'll be our little secret, he he he."

The other girls nodded in agreement.

I smiled. "Alright, I'll have a think and then I call on one of your doors when I've made my decision."

"Good, good." Ranpha said. "Like we said, whoever you'll choose we'll support it, okay?"

"We're not going to be anywhere for now, although a few of us may not be in our rooms." Mint said. "Just a little warning."

I nodded. "I'll keep it in mind."

The girls left the lounge, leaving me to think it over...all of the girls are beautiful, but the things that I like the most about Forte almost made it easy to decide. I looked straight and nodded, okay, I have made my decision. I left the lounge and walked up to the girls rooms. I then spotted a rose that was wrapped in clear wrapping paper, that must be a gift I have to give to one of the girls. I stood outside Forte's door and cleared my throat, asking out the ring-leader made me nervous, but she would want me to be brave, I called for her by pushing the button.

"Forte, it's Arnold, are you in here?" I asked.

"Yeah, come on in." She replied.

I walked in to her room with the rose I picked up and she was standing by the sofa.

"So you came, have you made your decision?"

"Yes, but first allow me to give you this." I handed her the rose.

She seemed surprised. "Eh? This rose is for me?"

"Yes, because I also have to tell you my choice. Now forgive me for being too forward, but..." I grabbed her hand. "...Forte, I choose you to be my date for the ball."

"You want me to be your date...?"

"I do...I can't quite explain it, but there's a lot of things that I like about you. So if you were to be my date, then maybe I find out the answers on why I like you much more than the other girls."

Forte hummed with a smile. "I see...yeah, thank you. I'm happy that you chose me."

"I feel the same way, it would be a great time to have some good memories at the ball."

She looked at me. "In that case, let's get a few important things for the ball. You'll get nowhere near the ball dressed like that."

"Ha ha ha! Fair point, it is supposed to be a classy place or so I've heard. Then we'll need to get some fashionable clothing."

"Yep, I'll be needing a dress for the ball and you'll need a trendy suit."

"Can't argue with that...say, since we're at Fargo, shall we go shopping for our clothes right away?"

"Yeah, good idea, Arnold. I'll let you take the lead this once."

"He he he, thanks, Forte."

She put the rose by the table and we left her room. Feeling a wave of bravery, I held her hand as we walked out of the Elsior and into Fargo where it was quite crowded.

"Ohhh, so many people here." Forte commented. "It's been a long time since I've seen that."

"Yeah, we've been on the ship for so long, the noise of a crowd feels new." I replied.

"Now then, first let's go buy a dress. Mint told me about a good store."

"Got it, let's go."

We walked to a fashion store and headed on inside.

"Whoa...what a fancy store." I complimented. "Just like something Mint would recommend."

"You were expecting something else?" Forte grinned. "Now what to choose..."

"How may I help you?" The store clerk asked. "Is there something you're looking for?"

"Yeah, an evening dress. How about you pick five or six for me to check out?"

"As you desire. Please come to the fitting room."

Whilst Forte was trying on the dresses, I checked the mens section and found an ideal trendy suit that would match me to almost perfection. When I was done, Forte was ready with hers.

"Oh, you're done?" I asked.

"Yep and I can see you're ready too." Forte replied.

"I sure am, so what will your dress be like?"

"That'll have to wait for the big day."

"Fair enough. Okay, let's keep shopping."

We left the fashion store and Forte bought several more stuff, but it wasn't a problem for me to carry.

"Arnold, you okay with all of my shopping?"

"Sure am...it's my job to keep my body in good shape so I don't get weak when holding things for too long."

"That's all good but it's okay to have a rest too. For now, how about we sit down by that coffee shop?"

"Sounds good, let's go in."

We walked into the coffee shop and took a table for two people, we ordered coffee and then I was curious as to what Forte was holding.

"Forte, is that a watch?" I asked.

"Yeah, I just happened find it at that store we went to earlier." she replied. "I always wanted something like this. When I found it, I just had to pick it up."

"Well, it's certainly nice, how much was it?"

"About as much as a small space yacht."

I blinked. "Seriously?! To think that a watch like that can be very expensive."

"It's because mechanical watches are hardly available now. This one's an an antique that was made four centuries ago, this poor guy belongs in a museum."

"That must've been way back before the Empire was formed."

"Moreover, this is made well enough to be a work of art. This isn't the kind of that you can see every day."

"That's amazing!"

"This one is a winding clock that is turned by hand. It's called 'hand-wound.' As long as you wind it, it'll never stop ticking."

"I see...do you think a watch can be related to a deep meaning?"

"Hmm, well there is one that I like. A relationship with this is just like a relationship between people, they're both connected at their core."

"That's a good one."

"That means you understand what I'm saying right?"

"Of course, it means that it's important to be attached. Cause if you treat the ones you're with well, then they'll respond in kind."

She looked at me. "That's right...okay, I think I have everything I need for the ball."

"So do I, we're gonna have a good time. I almost can't wait."

"Yeah, I'm also looking forward to it."

* * *

It was the evening of the ball event, all of us angels were there, but Tact was running later. All the girls looked beautiful, but I was taken away by what Forte was wearing.

"Well Arnold, what do you think?" She asked.

"Forte, you look...very...very beautiful."

Forte blushed. "Ah..."

"Did my compliment surprise you?"

"Well, I imagined you'd say something like that, but actually hearing it...I'm a little embarrassed after all."

"It's how I really feel on the way you look tonight."

Forte smiled. "Thanks...and you look pretty handsome too."

I blushed a little.

 _Background Music: Galaxy Angel - Dance_

"Oh, that music." I said.

"The ball's starting." Forte replied. "Say I have an idea."

"An idea?"

"Yeah, I'd like to try my luck at a casino area that's next door to this ball room. When it's time for the last dance, you come and find me, alright?"

"Sure, I'll be where you are when it's time. I'll go and check on the other girls."

"Thanks, I'm glad you haven't forgotten the others." She left the ball room.

"Oh, I see Milfie's by the buffet tray." I said to myself. "Hi Milfie."

"Ah, Arnold." She replied. "How is it? Having fun?"

"Yeah, I sure am. By the way, about me picking Forte..."

"It's okay, you still made a choice and as a close friend, I respect you for that."

"Thanks Milfie, you were my first friend when I joined the Elsior. You enjoying it here."

"Yeah, I'm having fun! These new deserts are making me happy!"

"They do look very tempting, maybe you could ask someone to make something like this sometime."

Milfie smiled. "Yeah! Great idea, I'll go speak to the catering team now." She rushed off.

I spotted the next angel. "Hmm, hey Ranpha."

"Arnold, having a good time?" Ranpha asked.

"Yeah it's good, enjoying yourself?"

"Obviously, everybody was asking me for a dance earlier. Do you know why?"

"It's because they find you very alluring with the way you you look tonight."

Ranpha giggled. "Ahhh you flatterer, shouldn't you be with Forte?"

"She's trying her luck at a casino room she and I will share a dance when it's time."

"That's good. Oh and I fully support your choice, I hope you and Forte get close soon."

"Me too..."

Ranpha walked off and then Mint walked up to me.

"There you are, Arnold." She said and she looked a little stressed. "Please help me."

"What is it?"

"Can you pretend that you'll dance with me? There's a guy that won't take no for an answer."

Then a guy approached us. "Hello there my little lady, mind I share the next dance with you?"

Mint put on a fake smile. "Sorry, but this man here promised to be my partner for the next dance, right Arnold?"

Talk about being thrown into the middle of it, I had to help out so I cleared my throat. "That's right. You'll have to wait for the following dance. Sorry mister."

The guy sighed. "Too bad, I'll be on my way..." He walked off.

"Whew..." Mint sighed in relief. "You saved me there, thank you very much."

"No problem, it's what close friends are for."

"And close friends can be happy for what they decide. I'm happy for you and I support your decision in choosing Forte."

"Thank you, Mint. I better go and see the others, Forte's a little busy at the moment."

"Alright, just in case that guy comes back, I'll look for Tact, see you after the event." Mint walked off.

I looked around to see Vanilla standing in a corner. "Hi Vanilla, are you okay?"

"Arnold...I am okay, do not trouble yourself."

"I don't plan to, aren't you having fun?"

"I'm not used to the kind of atmosphere at this ball."

"I don't blame you, this is my first time at a ball. But as long as you are enjoying it in your own way, I have no worries, it's who you are."

"Thank you for understanding, Arnold." Vanilla showed a little smile. "I also understand why you picked Forte. I hope you make memories with each other."

"Well the last dance will be coming up so we may have that chance...thank you, Vanilla."

I left the ball room, it was time to find Forte. I then found her outside the casino room and down a hallway.

"Arnold, good timing." She said quietly.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Listen calmly, there's been a suspicious guy wandering around the building."

"Really, where?"

"Look at that waiter over there."

I looked into the ball room and there was a waiter that was behaving a little off compared to the others.

"I see what you mean...could he be an assassin?" The waiter began to move upstairs to the VIP area. "Okay, that is not good news...Shiva will be up there."

"Apparently we're short on time here." Forte replied with a serious look.

"Is there a way to get up there and prevent something horrible from happening without causing innocents to panic?"

"We're going to have to follow them..." She then brought out two pistols. "...here, take one of these."

I gasped. "Forte...how did you keep those hidden."

She smirked. "Well, women do have more hiding places than men. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No comment..." I took the gun.

"These are a pair of .45's with silencers, now let's hurry. We can't lose track of him."

"Alright, let's go..."

I hid the gun away and we went back to the ball room and followed the waiter up to the VIP room. Prince Shiva was far away in the back and the suspicious waiter was nearby. Good, there won't be much of a scene this way.

The waiter then took off the apron and put down the tray, holding something close in his pocket. That confirmed our suspicions, we had to stop this right here and now.

"You over there!" I exclaimed. "Drop the gun!" I pulled out my silenced .45.

"What?!" The assassin asked.

"Put your gun on the floor and kick it over here, let's see those hands."

He turned around with his gun at the ready. "Damn...then I'll have to take care of you first!"

"Then I see we're going to have do this the hard way...I welcome that!"

"See you in hell!"

*PEW*

"ARGH!"

I was in a state of surprise, the assassin was shot in the leg and he fell to the side.

"Forte..." I noticed where the shot came from.

She kicked the assassin's gun away. "Arnold...I told you that I would have your back."

"Yeah, you did...thank you so much."

"It's nothing, as long as it's for you...now let's tie up this assassin and get the guards."

"Yeah and then we can have a rest over a drink."

"Hmm, I'll hold you to that, mister secret agent, ha ha ha."

We left the VIP and the guards took care of the rest. She and I shared a drink by the bar-stall and then the music changed.

 _Background Music: Galaxy Angel - Last Dance_

"Oh...the last dance is starting."

"It's okay, Arnold...we'll have a chance to dance another time." Forte replied.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah...but it gives me a chance to say a few things."

"Hmm?"

"Arnold, I am proud of what you've done for me and the girls since you joined the group. I have grown to like you a lot. It's in a special way compared to everyone else I know."

I smiled. "Forte, I feel the same way. I have begun to have to these kinds of feelings that I can give for only you. I'm really happy that you're our ring leader and that you look after us well whenever we need you."

Forte smiled back, looking at me. "Yeah, it may had ended on a shock note, but thank you for this date. I had the best time with you and I hope we get to do this again."

"I hope so too." I raised my glass. "Here's to our second date."

"Yep, to our second date and to share our first dance, cheers."

We clinked our glasses with smiles, it was a good ending to close the night with.

* * *

It was the night before Eonia and his fleet would arrive in an attempt to take us down and seize the White Moon for his own desires. Least we would have our wings out on our frames, we had some time left before calling it a night.

I was walking into the firing range where Forte was doing her usual target practice.

"Evening Forte." I said.

Forte smiled, happy to see me in a way. "Arnold, don't often see you down here, you need something?"

"Not really, I just wanted to see you. I thought you'd be here."

"Well, do you feel a little calm now that you've seen me?"

"Yeah I do...but how did you guess I wasn't calm before?"

"Well it's pretty easy. If you came to see, that means you're worried about tomorrow's battle, right?"

"That's right. You know me well these days."

"Mm, you don't need to worry, we'll win."

"How so?"

"I told you before in one of our previous battles right? I trust you." She looked at me. "I believe in the you who has won every battle so far. As an honourable Angel Wing member and as a man. I am proud that I am able to fight together with you."

I smiled. "Forte...that has to be the greatest compliment I have ever received."

"Or maybe that's how all women think about the one they love, hahaha!"

"You know, there's something else I need to tell you."

"Yeah."

This was the moment where I was sure that Forte was the one for me, the one who's back I'll always protect...and love.

"Forte...I'll protect your back."

"Oh..."

"Every battle we've won together, you've always had our backs. Especially mine when you saved me from that assassin back at Fargo, now it's my turn. I will support and fight alongside you in the name of protection and love."

Forte blushed. "Arnold...you've become a young man...and now my worries are gone too." She put a hand on my cheek.

"Really, you were worried about what could happen tomorrow?"

"Yeah...I always think of the possible situations that can happen in a battle. But I do feel better after hearing what you've said."

"So you will agree?"

"Yep...I'll trust my back to you and in return, I'll be watching your back too. No matter what, no matter when, I'll protect you."

"Thank you, Forte. With our secret power together, we'll definitely win tomorrow's battle."

"Then shall we seal it with our first moment of love?"

"Yes, I will agree to it so we can keep on protecting each other and to love each other."

"Thank you."

She moved her towards mine and locked her lips with mine as I put my hands around her waist.

She sighed happily. "Arnold...I love you."

"Forte, I love you, too."

"I'll be calling it a night soon, you should go back and sleep well."

"Sure thing...we'll win tomorrow as a couple and we'll take everyone by surprise."

"Yeah, good night, Romeo."

I smiled and left the firing range and I walked up to the girls rooms when I saw Tact being pushed out of...Mint's room! He then sighed and walked away. Okay, that was weird but that could not have been good.

But the final battle was tomorrow and there would need to be no distractions, so I pushed on the button outside Mint's door.

"Go away, Tact!" Mint exclaimed from her room. "I told you to leave!"

"I'm afraid this isn't Tact." I replied.

She gasped. "Oh...Arnold...umm, I'm really sorry but I don't wanna see anyone else right now."

"Mint, we're going to be facing Eonia and his fleet tomorrow, the last thing we need right now are distractions that will throw us off the fight and as sub-ring leader of the group. I will not allow a distraction to occur."

She sighed. "...Alright...come in, Arnold."

I walked into her room and she was looking sad as I sat down.

"Okay Mint...first of all, just tell me what happened." I said.

"Well...Tact came into my room and we talk about how we'd be worrying about tomorrow's battle. I told him that I was okay and that I wasn't worried at all. But you see, deep down, I actually was really worried and I also had grown to develop feelings for him when she saved me from my father."

"I see...and what did Tact say?"

She began to feel angry. "He wasn't so sure and that was when I got mad at him because my feelings did not reach him. I...I thought he would be someone special...but how wrong was I?!"

I was shocked. "What? How could he be so stupid?"

"Who knows...so I told him that I will fight tomorrow, but it will be for the Empire and not for him...that made me...angry and hurt inside."

"So in other words, you had feelings for him, but he didn't return them back?"

She began to feel upset. "N-n-no...hic."

 _Background Music: Galaxy Angel - Recalcitrant Grief_

I put my arms around her in a comforting hug.

"Mint...I'm so sorry to hear all that, I'm sorry that your heart got broken."

She rested her head below my neck. "I...I...hic...I can't...cry..."

"It's okay...you can let it out, it will help you feel better."

Mint remained silent, until... "Waaaah! Hic...waaaah!"

Poor Mint...I was close to crying myself but I was strong to not let that happen. But still, why? Why did Tact have to do that? I remained silent as I gently stroked her hair with my right hand.

"Uuuu, hic...Arnold...hic..."

"It's alright...as one of your closest friends, I'm here for you..."

"Hic...yes...hic...th-thank...you..."

Mint moved her head away, tears were still falling down her eyes.

"Sniff...Arnold...I'm sorry, that was...not ladylike of me."

"Don't be...everyone cries from time to time when they feel sad. It may be pointless, but do you feel any better?"

"I'm still heart broken...but I am beginning to feel...a little better."

"Do you need more comfort?"

"Yes please...I know it seems...selfish because you have your heart set on Forte but please don't forget about the rest of us, your closest friends."

"I will never forget that, Mint, you and the other girls mean the galaxy to me. Unlike that heartless bastard of a commander."

"Arnold...I don't blame you for saying that. Somehow, talking to you is making me feel better too."

"That's what close friends do, they give each other support in times of need, no matter how big or small the issue is."

Mint showed a smile. "Yes...thank you so much, Arnold. I wish there were more men in the galaxy like you...Forte is very lucky to have you."

We shared a friendly hug, a hug of comfort...she seemed a little better and focused on tomorrow's battle. I just hoped that despite what happened tonight, we will still win.

* * *

 **Well, that wasn't pretty to write, but it's done now...yeah I chose Mint in the end for a few reasons.**

 **Anyways, next is the Moonlit Lovers part where Tact meets Chitose and Arnold & Forte help her to settle into the group.**


	14. Love Is A Flower (Chitose Route)

**Now for the Moonlit Lovers part where Arnold & Forte treat their relationship...like a flower? While Tact and Chitose get along well, although someone feels a tiny bit jealous in a minor twist.**

* * *

Love Is A Flower (Chitose Route)

Six Months And One Week Later...

"...Arnold..." A voice called me.

"...zzz..." Was my only reply.

"Oi, get up, Arnold!"

I suddenly woke up and I was in my guest room. "Huh, what...oh morning, Forte."

"Morning mister Romeo."

I looked at the clock on the wall. "No way, I was sleeping all through the morning?"

"Yep, you were completely asleep. It's not good to start slacking off, you know."

I sighed. "I know, I know...it's just that things have been too quiet for the last few months and a lot has changed."

"Not much if you ask me, remember when Tact and Lester were re-assigned to their old posts after we defeated the Black Moon?"

"Yeah, I remember Lester saying to me that Tact was a little disappointed it turned out like that, but he reminded him that it was his own fault for not being strong enough to see things through."

"All because he didn't act like a man when he was dating Mint six months ago."

"Yep...when the rest of you heard, Milfie was sad, Vanilla was displeased and Ranpha nearly flipped and would've kicked his ass all over the White Moon if she could."

"And I was very disappointed with the way he said it. It was a big loss of trust, I guess that's also why we've been following orders under our new commander."

"Indeed...at least I'm not like Tact, you and I still have quite the relationship and it has been six months since we got together."

Forte smiled. "Yeah, but even so, it's just you, me and the newcomer who's on the ship. I shouldn't be worrying about the other girls, but I can't help it."

"We shouldn't really, they're four of the strongest girls in the galaxy. I'm sure they're taking great care of themselves whilst helping out defending the allies at Zhada."

"That's one thing that puts me at ease and I'm happy that our relationship continues to grow...speaking of growing, how are they?"

I looked at the chest of draws that had a plant pot with flowers and a small watering can. "You mean the flowers?"

"Yeah, you taking good care of them?"

"Sure am, my ring-leader is instructing me to do so." I winked.

Forte laughed. "Ha ha ha! Ahhh Arnold, this is why I've always got your back."

"And the same with yours, Forte, we'll never stop protecting each other and when it's just us two, we'll keep our love together."

Forte nodded. "Say, when this is all over, shall we have the dance that we didn't get six months ago?"

"Yeah, I've been wanting to dance with you for a long time."

"Good to know..." she checked the vase. "...they're growing nicely. Maybe you should become a gardener if you get bored of the military."

"Ha ha! I think I'd leave Milfie to do that since she likes growing vegetables in the park."

Forte sighed. "I hope we get to meet them soon."

I got out of my bed, changing into my uniform whilst Forte looked away. "We will, when we all get together, we'll need to have a good time."

"Absolutely...waiting for it will be like waiting for a flower to bloom like these. It'll bloom when the time comes to bloom, don't rush it."

"Just like our relationship." We shared a loving hug.

She smirked. "Mmmm...and besides, I want my good boyfriend to always aim high."

"Well that'll be hard unless I try and I've been trying for half of a year, perhaps even more."

"Very good answer, I'm almost quite lucky to have you."

"Same here."

Then suddenly sirens went off.

"We've got company."

Forte nodded. "Looks like we found the automated ships quicker than expected."

"Oh yeah, we were tasked to find Tact and Lester somewhere here."

We rushed to our frames and we engaged with the enemy fleet, the cruiser arrived with us in the hanger.

Out came two familiar faces who went with us to the bridge.

"Hey bridge crew!" Tact called. "It's been a long time."

"Commander Mayers!" Coco exclaimed. "It has been a long time."

"Coco and Almo, you two are doing well?"

"Yes, thanks to you." Almo replied before she noticed Lester. "Um...subcommander Coolduras, are you doing well?"

"Yeah, as you can see." Lester said.

"Hey, Lester. Don't you have anything better to say to her after all this time?"

"Better...what's wrong with an ordinary greeting?"

"Geez...he's still the same." Coco sighed.

"But that cold side of him is..." Almo sighed too, but more happily.

I had to laugh on the inside, Almo missed Lester when he left the Elsior.

Tact seemed a little jealous. "Tch. Lester's got it good..."

"Um, may I begin explaining soon?" Commander Murdoch asked.

"Ah right, so what's Admiral Luft's order?"

Commander Murdoch explained the objective that we're to rendezvous with the other angels at the Zadha system before travelling to Lena which was where the source of automated ships were coming from.

Tact signed a contract and Murdoch left the Elsior, taking the cruiser with him. Tact was back in command of the Elsior once again with Lester as sub-commander. It felt like old times.

Tact cleared his throat. "Ahem. The unknown raider fleet is our foe so everybody, get ready for this. We know just how strong the automated ships are from when we fought Eonia."

"Agreed." I replied.

"Yes, Commander Mayers!" Chitose added. "I will do my best to assist you!"

"Chitose, it's Tact." Forte reminded.

"Oh! Uhhh, I-I-I mean, T-T-T-Tact." She started blushing.

"According to our orders, the rendezvous point is YMF288." Lester said. "We'll need to Chrono Drive multiple times."

"However, there's been interference in Zadha. We can't communicate with them right now."

"Really?" Tact asked. "Well, I don't think we need to worry about those four. Anyways, it's great to be back in command, right Lester?"

"Yeah, I guess I kind of missed this place." Lester replied.

"Isn't that nice, Almo?" Coco asked.

"Yep! My wish came true!" Almo replied happily.

"Some things never change." I commented. "But I like it that way."

"What do you mean, Mr. Arnold?" Chitose asked.

"He's just thinking out loud as always." Forte replied. "But it's why I love him.

I nodded with a smile. "Anyways, we should get some snacks, that battle was a good one."

"Yes, then let us go." Chitose replied.

The three of us left the bridge and we were on our way to Zadha.

* * *

Over the next battles we won, Chitose started to become a good friend to us and she was getting to know Tact little by little, of course I had my doubts on whether they would become close or if some things get in the way.

Eventually, we arrived at Zadha and we drove Rezom and his fleet away, Milfie, Ranpha, Mint and Vanilla joined with us, now the whole angel wing was back together which made Tact happy as we were sitting in the lounge.

"It has been a long time since we all had a drink." Tact said. "And now we have Chitose too, so it's even more hectic. Man, I'm a lucky guy."

"Ahem!" I clear my throat.

"Well the angel wing is full of beautiful, girls, Arnold. Sorry to hear that you're a guy."

I then put a female voice. "Oh how dare you display undignified behaviour, dear!"

Mint laughed. "Anyways, Tact, you seem to still be our same commander as you were before."

"Yeah, for better or worse." Forte added who was sitting close to me with our hands under the table.

"I guess." Tact replied. "I'm glad you and Arnold are doing well."

"Yeah, our relationship continues to bloom." I said. "We're making it grow together as it should be."

"Huh? Are you growing something in the park?" Milfie asked.

"It's an expression." Ranpha sighed. "Anyways, Chitose, I recommend the chilli dog."

"Oh I know, how about a chocolate gateau cake slice?"

"Both of those sound great." Chitose replied. "I'll have both."

"If you eat those two things, you will consume 6,000 kilocalories." Vanilla lightly warned.

Chitose gasped. "Uuu...I'll just have one then."

"Oh, someone's got a big appetite." Ranpha said.

"She loves sweets as well." I added. "The other day in the cafeteria, she told us about a really good dumpling store."

Milfie's eyes lit up with stars in her eyes. "Oh really?! Chitose, you gotta tell me about it sometime."

"But it's not just sweet things, but delicious things in general, right?" Forte asked her.

"Y-yes." Chitose replied. "I once heard you went on a picnic before?"

"Yes, we had one the first time Tact came to the Elsior." Mint replied.

"That's right, it was fun." Milfie added.

"However, I wasn't part of the Angel Wing at the time." I pointed out. "We've been meaning to have another picnic with me involved, but never got the chance."

"I was able to start getting along with the Angel Wing thanks to that picnic." Tact said.

"Really? That's a little surprising." Chitose replied. "It feels like you've all been together forever..."

"No way!" Ranpha dismissed. "The first time I saw him, I seriously thought 'What's with this totally useless guy?'."

"Then Arnold joined the group after he discovered his destiny. But still, it was tough for me, earning everybody's trust took a lot of work." Tact said.

"Well, we're companions who trust each other with our loves." Forte replied. "You had to prove that you deserve our trust."

"And in the end, Tact passed." Mint said. "That reminds me of the incident where he saw Ranpha changing clothes."

"Eeeeh?!" Chitose gasped. "T-Tact did? No way!"

"No, no! That was a probe!" Tact defended. "Ranpha kicked me because of it. That was a terrible experience."

"I didn't know about it, because I was working towards joining the Angel Wing." I said.

"A lot happened back then." Milfie added. "I had no idea what to do when we started running out of food."

"We were surrounded by that huge fleet." Forte said. "And then Vanilla fainted from working too hard."

Vanilla blushed and looked away, probably didn't want to be reminded of that time.

"That really happened?" Chitose asked.

"However, those experiences made us what we are today." I answered.

"Yeah, that's right." Tact agreed. "All the conflict we went through helped us grow to trust each other."

 _Yeah...until you nearly threw all that away when you broke Mint's heart six months ago_ , I thought to myself. Mint looked at me when nobody noticed...oh crap, she heard about my thoughts alright.

"Huh, something up, Mint?" Forte asked.

"Nope, it's nothing." Mint replied happily. "Just thinking about the opposite, if we hadn't trusted each other, we wouldn't have been able to create these bonds."

"Yes, I think you're right." Chitose replied.

"It's the same for you." Tact replied.

"Huh?"

"I want us to have a relationship of trust and I want you to build that same relationship with the Angel Wing. So I want you to be at ease with them and I want you to all trust each other as soon as possible."

Chitose began to blush. "Tact..."

"I'm really glad that you're finally part of the group. If you keep spending time with them, your bonds will grow even stronger. I'm looking forward to seeing you grow, Chitose."

Chitose blushed a little redder. "Yes, Tact...I'm a fortunate person to hear such words from you."

"Ah ahem!" Forte cleared her throat. "Chitose, you're an excellent pilot, but you may need to develop a better eye for men."

"Huh? Ms. Forte, what do you mean?"

"Getting friendly with the new member, are we, Tact?" I smirked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

I sighed, his excuses when being put on the spot were lame as always.

"I think I understand." Chitose said. "I want to be close friends with all of you too."

"Me too...I'd be happy." Vanilla replied.

"Well, maybe we'll overlook it this time for Chitose's sake." Forte added. "In the meantime, shall we go, Arnold?"

"Sure thing. We'll see you girls later." I added as we left the lounge and walked up and into my guest room, so no one could hear.

"Say Arnold, do you know why Mint was looking at you for a split second?"

"I think it was to do with what Tact said about building up trusts and that word seemed to have reminded of her when...you know."

Forte looked down a little. "Oh...yeah, well I'm sure it's nothing serious. Tact mentioned about building a relationship of trust as well. I may not be wrong, but I think he was referring to that on a personal level between him and Chitose."

"I'd say it was a case of both since Chitose does want to become close friends with us and she's already making progress of that thanks to us."

"Yeah, you know I'm happy that we have a relationship like this, one where we always look out for who we care and when it's only us two, that when our love grows and blossoms."

"And speaking of those, the flowers are coming along nicely."

She looked at the plant pot with the flowers that had grown more and were halfway to being in full bloom.

"Top stuff, Arnold..." she put her arms around my neck. "...say, there's something I wanted to share with you. Mind if you meet me in the park at 22:00?"

"I can do that for sure." I replied with my arms around her waist.

"Thanks...now become a real man for a second, will ya?"

I smiled and moved in for one of our rare kisses. "Will that do?"

"Yeah, but save the rest for later, see you in the evening. I'll be in the firing range..."

She left my room...we don't share affection often because that's who she is, but when we do, she was quite a woman.

* * *

The evening arrived and I was in the park, waiting for Forte.

"Coming out this late is pretty suggestive now that I think about it." I said to myself. "What has she got planned for me?"

"Thanks for waiting, Romeo." She said as she arrived.

"It was my pleasure to wait. So what we are doing here?"

"You'll see when we get there."

We held hands and walked along the virtual park until we came across a lit area with a table full of food and a chef cooking along side.

"Excuse us, old chef." Forte said.

"Yo! Welcome!" the chef replied.

"I'll have mine with fritters and fish sausage."

"Fritters and fish sausage, coming up!"

"Is this an evening dinner?" I asked.

"Yep, what do you think?"

"Honestly, I'm surprised...it all looks tasty."

She giggled. "Arnold, we've been together for over six months and you still think I'm full of surprises, don't you?

"Well, should this boyfriend not be surprised?"

"No it's fine, I love it when you act surprised. But actually, I had help with this idea from Mint."

"Mint, eh? I wondered why she helped set this up."

"I think it's her way for saying a big thank you for when you were there for her six months ago. Now more importantly, you order too, it's great!"

"Alrighty then." I made a selection and ate away with Forte and the food was spot on.

Forte sighed, smiling. "Sitting at a table like this and eating hot food under the evening sky. It really gives you a peace of mind."

"Yeah, it does make you slow down and think. It's like you wanna lie down and put your feet up and just relax without a problem."

She looked at me. "Mm, just gotta make sure you work all that off before we carry on with our destination to the Lena system."

"I think my stomach will be back to normal long before then."

"He he he, I'll remember you said that...for now, you enjoying this?"

"Yeah, this is the best night!"

She held my hand. "Hmm, I'm really glad...oh, that reminds me."

"Hmm?"

"We all agreed to meet with Chitose in her room, she wanted to show us something interesting."

"I guess we should wrap up and make our way."

"Yeah...we'll do this again next time...thanks chef."

"You're welcome, you two have a good evening." the chef replied.

We left the park and walked to Chitose's room where the girls and Tact were waiting.

"Sorry folks, I know we're late." Forte said.

"Ah! We were waiting for you both." Milfie replied.

"Well, if you showed up together, doesn't that mean you've been spending all this time together?" Ranpha asked.

"Guilty as charged." I replied, trying not to laugh.

"Is it natural to think that." Vanilla said.

"Not even trying to deny it?" Mint asked.

"Well if we tried to, your telepathy would see right through us." I winked.

Mint put on her not so innocent smile. "Oh what could you possibly mean by that, Arnold?"

Tact intervened. "Okay, that's enough. You two don't have to tell us."

"Well, I will just say this..." Forte replied. "...Arnold's grown into a man. The rest is up to your imagination."

"Wait, I got it." Milfie said before she pouted. "You two were having an evening dinner or something, just the two of you, no fair."

Ranpha sighed. "You know, Milfie, not everybody is like you."

"No, she's right." I said.

"Huh?"

"Forte and I did share an evening dinner together. That's all we'll say"

"Uhhh, everyone?" Chitose said. "Don't forget about me."

"Yeah angels, that's why we're here." Tact responded. "So Chitose, what did you want to show us?"

Chitose smiled. "I found these while I was arranging my luggage." She brought them out. "These are sparklers, they're not as dangerous as fireworks and they're relatively normal where I come from."

"These sticks are sparklers?" Milfie asked.

"What's this? Firecrackers are long and narrow." Ranpha added.

"It doesn't make a big sound like a firecracker, it's much smaller." Chitose replied. "It's easier seen than explained. Come to the porch, everybody."

Chitose showed us how to use them and we actually some fun with them and we were safe with them.

* * *

It was the evening before we were to face Nefuria and her horde of Val-Fasc ships. I was around the virtual park when I saw Tact walking towards the fountain with Chitose and they were talking about something, they seemed pretty comfortable to be talking close to each other.

Maybe I was wrong, perhaps he's got around to learning about feelings and maybe he really likes her, in which case I do hope they find the chance to learn more about each other and get close. But then I spotted someone spying on them by the entrance.

I snuck away as I left the park and spotted the person...Mint?

"Mint, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Huh?" She turned around, no longer spying on Tact and Chitose. "Oh my...it's nothing too serious."

I raised my eyebrow. "I think lying to me would lean towards being serious."

Mint sighed. "You caught me, didn't you?"

"Yeah, could you at least tell me why?"

"Because...well, you know what he did six months ago, right?"

"Oh...you still haven't gotten over it?"

Mint shook her head. "I wanted to have a chance to speak with him and apologise for how overreacted towards him."

"Overreacted? I do remember that he was in the wrong."

She felt sad. "I know that, but I never gave him the chance to explain to him why I got mad at him, you already know the reasons why."

"And because he's busy with getting to know Chitose, it's been almost impossible to have a quiet talk with him?"

She nodded.

"And in a way, you feel jealous?"

She nodded again. "Yes...but how will I ever get over this?"

"Call for Tact in the early morning before everyone else wakes up and invite him to your room. Then lock the door behind him so you both can have a long uninterrupted talk, he'll listen to you I'm sure."

"You think that will work?"

"I've never given anyone an idea that I thought would never work. Just look at the battles tactics that we all have used."

Mint smiled. "Point taken...alright, Arnold. I'll try to talk to him in the early morning before we have to deal with the Val-Fasc. Thanks again for looking out for me, just don't forget the rest of the angels and your girlfriend."

"Oh I'll never forget Forte...speaking of which, I need to find her. Anyways, you're very welcome, Mint, good luck with it." I gave her a quick hug and I left the park.

I walked up to Forte's door. "It's me."

"Oh, come in Arnold, you're just in time." She replied.

I walked in to find Forte all dressed up with the outfit she wore at Fargo.

"Forte?!"

"Arnold...I have decided that I want to dance with you tonight, before tomorrow's battle, no matter what."

"A dance with you?"

"Yes...I want you to listen to my own selfishness for one night only."

I smiled and took her hand. "Forte...I will answer every request you make for one night only, milady."

"Thank you, mister..."

We got into a dance pose, ready to dance.

 _Background Music: Galaxy Angel - Last Dance_

"It'll be okay, Forte." I said as the music began to play. "I'll always be with you."

Forte blushed. "Arnold..."

"If it's the two of us, we can do it. I know that Tact has gotta deliver the big shot against Nefuria, but you and I and the rest of the Angel Wing are just as important."

"Hehehe, honestly. That's just like you, where do you even get this confidence?"

"Since the first day you and I went on our date, we didn't get a chance to dance then, but tonight, I wish to dance with you too, because you're here with me."

"I'm happy to accept that compliment. Now let us dance, mister Romeo."

"With great pleasure."

We danced around the room in a slow waltz as we looked into each others eyes. I had never paid attention to her blue eyes, they were as a clear as fresh water. Speaking of water, the plant pot in my room had changed.

It was also on this night where the flowers that I helped grow finally blossomed into fully grown flowers. Just like the flowers, our relationship had blossomed and now it was fully grown. Now if only the Val-Fasc could stop growing stronger...well time and fate would tell...

* * *

 **Yeah, sorry if this one a little short, but I'll try to make up for it next time.**

 **The last one of this story is coming up and in a minor twist, Arnold suggests to Tact on writing love letters to Chitose. Then later on, Forte provides Arnold with weapons so he can prepare for his quest.**


	15. Back Defenders For Life (Chitose Route)

**Here we are, readers, the final chapter of the story which as before ends with the Eternal Lovers part...with another twist. Arnold encourages Tact to take on board the idea of writing love letters to get his feelings out to Chitose. Meanwhile, Forte assures that she'll always be there for Arnold when he learns of his past.**

* * *

Back Defenders For Life (Chitose Route)  


Forte and I stood behind the curtain, feeling a little nervous that we were gonna be dancing front of an audience.

"Arnold, do not let the nerves get to you." Forte said as we held hands.

"I won't, Forte. I know how much this dance means to you." I replied. "We'll make our closest friends proud.

We shared a quick kiss.

"Dancing the waltz, would Arnold Williams and Forte Stollen, please take to the floor." An announcer said.

I took Forte's hand and we walked down to the dance floor of the hall that we reserved as part of the 30-day paid vacation we earned after defeating Nefuria. The dance hall was part of the main palace on Transbaal, with Lady Shiva's permission. We got into our dance hold and began the performance, we had rehearsed the waltz routine multiple times, so we knew the steps as dead on possible. The other angels and Tact who got front row seats were proud of us and what we were doing. When we finished the routine, everyone stood up and cheered as Forte and I shared a happy embrace.

23 Days Later...

*Bang* *Bang*

*Bang* *Bang*

*Bang* *Bang*

Another target holed with bullets, my accuracy with weapons had gotten more accurate over the few weeks. I was in the firing range and I was learning to use two pistols instead of my desert eagle. They were the .45 pistols Forte and I used back when we prevented an assassination attempt at Fargo when no one else was around.

"Well mister, you're becoming a sharp shooter, don't tell Chitose I said that." Forte teased.

"Chitose will never find that out and neither will anybody else." I replied, holstering the pistols. "Well unless our ship was taken over by some space invaders."

"Yeah, like an automated ship is just gonna board the Elsior, that won't happen."

"Speaking of the Elsior, didn't expect to be back already and on our way where the Val-Fasc forces are forming in preparation for a counter attack."

She nodded. "I guess time really does fly when you share a private dance together. Although it was kinda refreshing to share it in front of an audience a few weeks back."

"Yeah, especially when our friends got to see us up close in the front row, cheering us on."

"Anyways, that's enough target practice today. Want some coffee?"

I took her hand. "Yeah, sounds good."

We left the firing range and walked to the lounge to share drinks of coffee together. Not much had changed on the ship either, everyone was still the same although there were talks of Tact and Chitose getting a little friendly even though Tact still hasn't found the courage to tell Chitose how he feels about her yet. But during our travel towards the south west part of the galaxy, Forte and I had been secretly working on a plan to help them with sharing their feelings, if they have any which all of us angels suspected.

"Hmm, I wonder what else we can do while we're on this ship." Forte said, sitting close to me with my hand being held.

"Well... I'll have to think of something special." I replied. "The coffee's enough for now."

"I guess so...any ideas yet?"

"Not at the moment, but for now I just wanna clarify that I'll always protect your back. Whether it's against the wall with our guns out or on each other's backs in a reserved hot spa resort."

Forte hummed happily. "A luxury spa resort with our backs close together? I might just take you up on that offer. He he he."

"Well it was a romantic suggestion."

"And it's one that I welcome with open arms. But it's always great to see you working hard out there as one of us. That's the Arnold I fell in love with."

"Yeah, I'll always stay by your side."

Suddenly, sirens went off around the ship.

Forte had a serious look. "We've got trouble."

"Yeah, it's war, war with the Val-Fasc again."

We rushed out of the lounge and into the hanger, we were the first to get to our frames. The other girls arrived and we flew out to deal with a Val-Fasc fleet that was pursuing a civilian ship way out here which was somewhat suspicious. But nonetheless we had a job to do and we beat the Val-Fasc fleet before escorting the civilian ship into the Elsior. We had to wait for a while before we could board our frames, but thanks to Mint, we could see who was coming out of the civilian ship.

Two people had come out and they introduced themselves to Tact as Lushati and Wein who were not only brother and sister, but two people who came from Eden, that stunned us all. So the Eden civilisation was still alive, even after the Chrono Quake took place six centuries ago. We boarded our frames in and thinking of the brother and sister, it reminded me of the word family which gave me a headache. Vanilla advised me to rest so I went to Forte's room to sleep on her bed since the guest room was being used by Lushati and Wein.

I was dreaming away and it was a peaceful dream...until it became a nightmare at a fast pace, causing me to panic and then I couldn't see anything.

"AHHHH!" I yelled before panting.

Forte suddenly ran into the room. "Are you okay, Arnold?"

"F-Forte..."

"Me and the girls were past the guest room and then we heard you yell, did something happen?"

"This is...your room?"

Forte now looked concerned. "What happened...tell me, please."

"I...need...to calm down...first..." I then sniffed.

"Come here, you..."

I got off the bed and we wrapped each other in a loving hug.

"Well, I don't know what it was...but it's okay now, I'm here."

I wiped my tear away. "Y-yeah...you're here for me, like I'm always here for you."

"Feeling a little better?"

I held her a little tighter. "Yeah, I feel much better now, thank you."

"It was nothing."

I looked into her eyes, they were the look of comfort, care and love.

"I didn't mean to worry you about it."

"It's alright...but could you tell me what it was about, if you want to?"

"Sure, I'm strong enough to tell you."

I then explained the dream and how it was because the word family is mentioned.

"Hmm, I see...then do you think it's some kind of warning?" Forte asked.

"Yeah, I have a feeling that dream was trying to tell me something it may be related to what happened to my parents and why Eden is involved."

Forte hummed. "That's a heck of a stretch, Arnold."

"But it may hold the clue to what really happened in my past and I think I need to pay Lady Shatyarn a visit, it's time I learnt more about what really happened."

She smiled. "Well if you're going to insist on it, I won't stop you. I will however support you...and I do hope you find the answers you need."

"Thanks...so why were you girls up here earlier?"

"Oh yeah...Milfie is inviting all of us to a picnic in the park to welcome Lushati and Wein to the ship."

"I see, well I don't think any of us could say no to Milfie's cooking, I'll gladly come along...but can we stay like this a little longer?"

She giggled. "There's no pleasing you is there? Alright, just for a little more..."

We moved our heads to lock in our lips gently. Eventually I calmed down and cheered up, leaving with her and heading to the park for Milfie's welcoming picnic.

* * *

When the picnic was interrupted by Milfie's luck which was not a surprise, Forte and I looked at each other and we sneaked off. When we were away from the others, we agreed that it was time for our secret plan to get underway.

"Arnold, you thought of an idea?" She asked me quietly.

"Love letters." I replied quietly. "I think they might work."

"Love letters, eh? So how will that go down?"

"Well I think it's simple, I go to Tact and explain about it to him and you do the same with Chitose, but you'll have to convince her that it's a learning curve and she's keen to learn and trust if it's from you."

She nodded. "Sounds like a great idea, okay let's do it. When I get the chance, I'll go and talk to Chitose. You do the same with Tact."

"We'll check up together when it's underway..."

We shared an embrace and started the plan, I indeed hoped that this would work for sure.

Later on, I walked to the commanders room and called for Tact.

"...Huh? Who is it?" Tact asked from his room.

"It's only me, man." I replied.

"Oh, Arnold...come on in."

I walked into his room with a piece of paper and a pen and he looked confused.

"Uhhh, what are those for?"

"This Tact is your stepping stone towards getting your feelings out?"

"Eh?"

I giggled. "Don't play dumb with me, I've become aware that you have feelings for Chitose."

Tact was stunned, now I had his full attention.

"H-how did you know?"

"Because with the way you were wanting to get close to her. Tell me though, have you shared your feelings to her yet?"

He sighed. "No...I haven't had the chance."

"Well, I have I plan that may work and instead of just waiting for the right moment, why don't you make it happen by writing a love letter?"

"A love letter?"

"Yeah, it's one other way to get your feelings out of your mind and sent to the one person you have feelings for."

"Wait a second...you want me to tell her that I...I err..."

"Love her?"

"Noooo...well not yet at least."

"I see...but either way, you should do this and I can help you start it off if you wish."

Tact sighed. "Well...if there's no other way...sure, I'll do it."

"Good." I placed the paper and pen on his desk. "First off you start with the name of the person you have feelings for, then you share what's on your mind when you think about that person and then at the end, say how much she means to you."

"Okay...I think I got it."

I nodded approvingly. "In that case, I wish you luck."

"Thanks..."

I left his room and I walked past the guest room, I had hoped to get that room back soon. It's not that I don't mind being in Forte's room for now, we weren't exactly serious for more than the love we had right now. I had often looked at Forte's gun collection and she had given me permission to open the silver cabinet and get a feel of the guns she had in there. I opened it with the key she kept on a hook above the cabinet and slid the door up to see the weapons inside.

There were a pair of 9mm pistols with silencers on them displayed on stands. There were another pair of stands but the pistols were not there, I took out the .45's and put them in there, I nearly forgot about them at least they were back in the collection belonging to my girlfriend. At the top of the cabinet was an RPG-7, a rocket launcher that Forte can trace way back to a forgotten era. Below that was an XM8 Assault Rifle with a clip that was strapped with another clip, probably to reduce the reload time.

There were loads more like a pair of shotguns and a sniper rifle, but I didn't want to waste much time. I then slid the cabinet door down and locked it with the key and placed the key on the hook. I took a lie down on the bed and thought of how Forte is getting on with teaching Chitose about love letters, my thought was moved away when Forte walked in and she was smiling as she walked over and took my hand.

"It's working, Arnold." She said. "I told her about it and she's writing one to Tact as we speak."

"Oh, that was quick." I replied. "I guess Chitose has feelings for him too."

"Yeah, I think we may have done them a huge favour."

"I like to think so too, but we'll have to wait and see how it goes."

Forte nodded and we smiled.

Then beeps went off across the ship, it was battle time again.

We dealt with them and then Admiral Rowil finally showed himself as the enemy commander of the Val-Fasc. But he was no match for us, forcing him to retreat but before he did, he revealed what happened to my parents and everyone heard...I snapped and lost all control of emotion. When we boarded our frames, I rushed to Forte's room as the only place for comfort. However, thanks to being with Forte who trained me to remain strong and never show easy weakness to the enemy, I came out of her room the next day and went to the White Moon to get a few answers.

When I returned to the Elsior, my faith and focus were restored and we all dealt a fatal blow to Rowil and his Val-Fasc fleet, finally, I had avenged my parents by brining Rowil to justice, even though the enemy reinforcements did not arrive. When we boarded our frames, I wanted to speak with Tact on his progress with the love letters.

"Say Tact, mind if I have a word with you?" I asked.

"Sure Arnold, we'll go to my commanders room." he replied.

We walked to his room and sat down on chairs.

"So how have you been getting on?"

Tact sighed with a smile. "Much better than I thought. Chitose and I have started writing to each other and we have a much closer connection than ever before."

I smiled. "That's great progress. Are you thinking of being ready to say that you love her?"

"...Yeah, I think I'm close to saying that I'm ready to say that I want to go out with her."

"Good man...and since we're on route to Eden, it could be a great chance for you both."

"I hope so too...by the way, is Chitose getting help from Forte?"

"Well, it would make sense, since Forte and I are the other couple that Lushati and Wein don't know much about...and I prefer to keep it that way."

"Really, but why?"

"Because I have my suspicions about Wein, he was quick to dismiss his expression when the Val-Fasc was mentioned being potentially wiped out after the Chrono Quake."

"Wein..." He was in deep thought. "...that smile of his, he was the only one happy about that battle...something is not right here...now that you mention it, I'm finding him suspicious too."

"In that case, we better remain vigilant in case he tries to pull off a dirty trick and I have a very bad feeling that it may involve Chitose."

"Huh? But why would...oh right, the time when she and I used Unit #7 together." He began to look serious. "I should send a message to the White Moon and ask Lady Shatyarn to remain alert in case something terrible happens."

I nodded. "But you may have an advantage, because Wein doesn't know about the love letters."

"Oh yeah, good point...thanks Arnold, you may have just saved us from a potential disaster. I'll write this love letter and while I contact the White Moon, you send the letter over to Chitose's room."

"Sure, I'll stick here until you're done."

A few minutes of silence and he finished writing it. I took the letter and left the room as he went to the bridge. I rushed over to Chitose's room where Forte just came out with a letter.

"Perfect timing." Forte said. "Here's hers and I think this is the one."

"And here's Tact's, I think we're gonna see something wonderful." I replied as we exchanged letters.

Suddenly, beeps went off the ship, we didn't have much time. We nodded as Forte placed Tact's letter in her room and I rushed to Tact's room and placed Chitose's love letter inside it before I rushed to the hanger. As we were out in the open space, Chitose's frame suddenly malfunctioned and it was shot down by the Elsior. It was a massive blow to our morale knowing that Chitose would be out for the time being and they were close to admitting their final feelings.

* * *

As Chitose was brought to the White Moon to recover, Unit #7 was stolen by Wein and Lushati was hypnotised by him, confirming his status as a Val-Fasc. We caught up to him and tried to beat him, but it didn't work and we were forced to retreat after going through a Val-Fasc fleet that Wein did not mention. Our frames were battered, but at least we'd be taking some rest for the time being. Chitose had woken up which was great news, we rushed to where she was at Block 4D, we walked in to see Chitose standing and looking well, Tact had yet to catch up with us.

"I troubled all of you a lot this time, I'm sorry." Chitose said after we all gave her a hug.

Forte smiled. "What? You're okay. That's the important thing."

"So please stop apologising now." Mint added.

"B-but I dragged you down and-"

I cut Chitose off. "The malfunction of the Emblem Frame had Val-Fasc written all over it, you have nothing to apologise for."

"Arnold's right." Milfie agreed. "We said it's fine, Chitose."

"I'm glad you really are better." Ranpha said.

"Yes...I am relieved." Vanilla added.

"Everyone...umm, thank you so much." Chitose replied before she started blushing. "Uhhh, where is Tact?"

Then speak of the devil, Tact arrived and walked into the room.

"Chitose..." he said, seeing her blush.

"Oh, here's the man in waiting." Forte teased as I held her hand and we crossed our fingers behind our backs.

"Huh?" Chitose asked, seeing Tact looking well.

"Thank goodness...thank goodness..." Tact said before he began blushing a little.

Chitose was blushing again. "Tact...I'm...I'm...happy that you're here..."

The rest of stood away in silence, we all had the same idea in hoping this could be it.

"Chitose...do you remember the love letters?" Tact asked as he walked towards her.

"Tact...I...I...I do..." She started glowing red. "...I wrote one for you before our last battle..."

"I did as well...I was able to read yours, so..." He paused, starting to blush a little. "...I want to give you this."

"Y-y-y-yes..." Chitose braced herself as Tact was now close to her.

Tact wrapped his arms around her and helped put her arms around him, now they were wrapped up in a hug...then Tact made a very bold move...he kissed Chitose on the cheek and Chitose gasped before glowing in bright red, we were shocked but happy at the scene.

"Chitose, I have liked you for a long time, you mean the galaxy to me...please go out with me."

"Tact...I have liked you the same way too, but I was so afraid with how to tell you until I was given the idea to write love letters...go out with me, please!"

"Yes! I will, Chitose! For you!"

"Yes...ahhh Tact!" Chitose was about to faint but Tact caught her whilst the rest of us smiled with joy.

Forte and I smiled at each other and did a high-five before we shared a hug, we outsmarted the Val-Fasc at their own game! We were back on the Elsior and Chitose and Tact were sitting with us in the lounge. Both of them were still blushing after they had finally confessed their feelings, but they happy too.

"Forte...Arnold...I cannot thank you enough!" Chitose exclaimed.

"Yeah, the love letters idea was amazing!" Tact added. "Thank you both so much!"

"Ahhh you're very much welcome." Forte replied.

"We were just doing what we thought was right...and, we finally have a huge advantage over the Val-Fasc" I added. "For a long time they've had one over us but now the tables have turned."

Forte nodded. "Yeah, we should leave for Eden as soon as possible, we still have to get Unit #7 back."

"Yes, then today I announce that we'll be leaving for Eden tomorrow." Tact declared. "I advise you all to rest up, we may face a tough challenge when we get there."

"No problem, Tact. I'll just give them my one two KO." Ranpha replied.

"We'll free the people of Eden." Vanilla added.

"Will we be able to rescue Lushati as well?" Mint asked.

"Yeah, at least we should try to do that too." Milfie agreed.

"It'll be difficult since Wein isn't going to just hand over Unit #7." Tact replied. "But all we can do is wait till we get there for now, you're dismissed for now, okay?"

We nodded, leaving the lounge via our own ways. Forte and I went into my guest room since Lushati and Wein were not on the ship anymore. We put our arms around each other, proud of what we had accomplished...Wein was going to be in for a massive shock.

We arrived at Juno, the home planet of Eden, my home world and we took out the Val-Fasc stationed there along with Wein who was in absolute shock to find Chitose and Tact already together as a couple. He then tried to wipe us out, but our angel wings put a stop to it, forcing him to retreat, on a personal note, I was happy, my home world was finally free.

* * *

It was time for me to start digging into my family's past that perhaps hold a key to the future. But first, I had to take on a quest my father once did and Forte provided me with the needed weapons as well as a good luck kiss before I set off...I completed it despite my sugar level not being taken care of, but it was okay. I made it to the ball event at the Sky Palace where Forte and I got to dance again. But Tact and Chitose also got to dance as well and they were very happy whilst the other angels cheered them on.

The Val-Fasc attempted a counter attack with Gern who introduced himself as king of the Val-Fasc, the one who led them all. Huge missile batteries were launched, but we destroyed them forcing the remaining ships to retreat. With Lushati now safe and back on Juno and with the dimension gate key I retrieved, we left Eden to travel to the Val-Fasc's home world. It was a long journey, but we earned the down time we had.

I was in the park as evening time, looking at the night sky that was different from normal.

"Evening, Arnold." Forte said as she arrived.

"Oh, evening, Forte." I replied, holding her hand. "Let's sit here."

"Okay." We sat down by the hill and looked at the night sky. "The stars are beautiful, aren't they?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I heard that Tact got data about the night sky the Val-Fasc see in their home-world."

"Ahhh, very clever of him."

"Oh, speaking of him. There he is and Chitose is with him..."

Forte saw them. "They're heading to the fountain and they're holding hands too."

"...Oh my! They just shared a kiss...we better keep this to ourselves."

"Ha ha ha! You know, Arnold...we've come a very long way since we first set foot on the Elsior."

"Yeah, the first day we met, I was just a normal crew worker...and now, we're one of two couples who wants to protect the future and to love each other."

Forte nodded, resting her head on my shoulder. "I feel the same, we will protect it, all of the galaxy!"

"Yes...because we're Galaxy Angels."

"Galaxy Angels, eh?"

"Yeah, you and I are like angels, we want to bring light into the darkness with hope for one another."

"Ahhh, now that's the best compliment you've ever given since we fell in love seven months ago. I am more than proud to say that you are a man, the man with strength, confidence, happiness and the one I love."

"And you are the same, I am happy to have stood by your side, protecting your back as I have always done."

We looked at each other in the eyes with smiles.

"I love you, Forte."

"I love you too, Arnold."

"We'll win tomorrow and we'll protect the galaxy, even if I have to open up a portal to another space to achieve it."

"Yeah, as long as we're together...no matter what, I'll never be sacred of anything..."

We shared a loving kiss and continued to watch the night sky. This woman I loved, she was the one for me, the one who's back I'll always protect...forever!

* * *

 **So there you have it, this story is finally done. :D Hope you guys liked the twist with Tact and Chitose getting help writing love letters and therefore denying Wein's manipulation over Chitose's feelings.**

 **My story now has 60k plus words...bloody heck, that's a lot of words! o_O xD**

 **I think I've earned my break for now and I hope you've enjoyed these, remember to follow me if you want to see me write any more stories I have planned.**


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